Social Security

A government database banks rely on to find out about deaths suddenly grew dramatically last month. Now, live immigrants are also getting added to it.

It's time to drag sclerotic, paper-based U.S. federal payment operations into the digital future. The technology exists, and America's global competitors are already putting it to use.

Curt Farmer, CEO of the Dallas company, defends its management of a Treasury Department program that provides federal benefits on prepaid cards. He says a recent American Banker investigative article "ignores the fact that Comerica took steps to protect Direct Express users when it became aware that a third-party vendor had not followed program protocols for reviewing customer inquiries."

Comerica's shoddy handling of its Treasury contract to manage Social Security and veterans benefits — including outsourcing fraud claims to a vendor in Pakistan — is emblematic of how the banking industry treats the poor.

A Comerica Bank executive admitted to major failures in its handling of the Treasury Department's Direct Express program, including data and resolved fraud disputes sent to a vendor's office in Lahore, Pakistan, a "serious" contract violation.

Charlie, a digital banking service, will advance users their Social Security benefits and will try to act like a "smart, kind and trusted nephew."

Ultraconservatives in the House have dominated the public discussion on the U.S. debt ceiling, but Speaker Kevin McCarthy can't afford to ignore GOP centrists if the country is to avoid a catastrophic payments default later this year.

Visa is leaning more heavily on its Issuers’ Clearinghouse Service to help banks combat the rise of synthetic fraud, which it attributes in part to a security measure adopted by the Social Security Administration years ago.

Panelists: Renée D. Brown, CMO, Retail Financial Services, TIAA; Steven Dorval, President, John Hancock Personal Financial Services; Matt Fellowes, CEO, United Income; Roger Lee, CEO and Co-Founder, Human Interest