FCC Cites F.N.B. in Pennsylvania for Policy on Robo-Texts

Federal regulators have cited F.N.B. Corp. in Pittsburgh for violating rules to protect consumers from unwanted, automated text messages.

The Federal Communications Commission said the $17 billion-asset company requires its online banking and Apple Pay customers to receive auto-dialed telemarketing texts in order to use the services. The FCC said in a Friday press release that such a policy violates the Telephone Consumer Protection Act."Consumers have the right to choose whether they want marketing calls and texts to their cell phones," Travis LeBlanc, the FCC's enforcement bureau chief, said in the release.The citation serves as a warning that future violations could result in financial penalties."Our policies generally allow all customers to opt out of marketing information; however, we are unfamiliar with the details since we were just made aware of the issue and have not yet received any formal communication from the FCC," Jennifer Reel, an F.N.B. spokeswoman, said in an emailed statement to American Banker. "We will immediately investigate the issue and are fully committed to ensuring that we continue to comply with the consumer rights laws and regulations."F.N.B. offers online banking and Apple Pay through its First National Bank of Pennsylvania.The FCC in June rejected lobbying by the banking industry to curb lawsuits filed against banks for unwanted robo-calls to consumers.The agency also cited ride-sharing service Lyft for not protecting customers from receiving unwanted calls or texts on mobile phones. 

 

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
Consumer banking Debt collection
MORE FROM AMERICAN BANKER