WASHINGTON The Federal Reserve Board issued five interim rules on Thursday that establish uniform standards for the electronic delivery of required disclosures by banks.
Under the rules, financial institutions may deliver disclosures electronically if they obtain consumers consent in accordance with the requirements of the digital signatures law enacted last year. The Fed rules provide guidance on the timing and delivery of electronic disclosures so that consumers have adequate opportunity to access and retain the information.
For example, the rules say that disclosures posted on a Web site must be available for at least 90 days to allow applicants adequate time to see them, and that disclosures can be sent by e-mail or made available on the Internet.
The Fed issued similar proposals in August 1999, but delayed implementation until the digital signature law was enacted. The central bank said it issued interim rules to allow for further comments not considered during the original debate.
