Community Banker Alert

Recently, PACB leadership and our legal team met with senior staff of the Attorney General’s office to discuss our continued concerns over mail solicitations that are sent to our customers with the appearance that the solicitation is coming from or endorsed by the customer’s community bank. I am sure many members have received such complaints from customers alleging that you sold or shared their customer information or were upset that the bank was sending them an unsolicited advertisement.

For your reference, I have attached several examples of these mail solicitations that community bankers have shared with us over the last few months. The individual identities have been removed to protect their privacy.

PACB has been working with the Pennsylvania Insurance and Banking Departments as well as the Attorney General’s office to have state government crack down on these solicitations.

While the Attorney General’s office expressed interest in pursuing these solicitations as possible deception under the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices Act and Consumer Protection Law, they made it very clear that they need actual complaints to be filed by consumers so that they may formally investigate and possibly enforce against these practices.

As a result, we are urging every member to have copies of the enclosed Consumer Complaint Forms available to be filled out by your customers who have received these deceptive mailings. They may either file their complaint online with the Attorney General’s office at http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/bcp_form.cfm or through using the PDF form we have provided you that may be returned to the Attorney General’s office attn: Bureau of Consumer Protection, 14th Floor, Strawberry Square, Harrisburg, PA 17120.

These forms will clearly give you a legitimate avenue to point to with your concerned customers and will aid PACB and the Attorney General’s office in our desire to build a body of evidence and complaints so that state government may take action against these outfits that use public information and mail to our customers making them believe the solicitation is from or endorsed by their community bank.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Dave Transue, our Government Affairs Consultant, who may be reached here in the office or via email at dave@pacb.org.

Thanks so much.

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