Goldman and Apple 'illegally sidestepped' obligations to credit-card customers: CFPB

10/23/2024 23:30
Goldman and Apple 'illegally sidestepped' obligations to credit-card customers: CFPB

The CFPB fined Goldman and Apple $89.8 million for mishandling transaction disputes and banned Goldman from launching a new credit card unless it demonstrates "it can actually follow the law."

Goldman Sachs (GS) and Apple (AAPL) have to pay $89.8 million for sidestepping legal obligations to their joint credit card customers, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced Wednesday.

The regulator said Apple failed to send tens of thousands of consumer disputes of Apple Card transactions to Goldman Sachs. When Apple did send the disputes, the bank did not follow numerous federal requirements for investigating the disputes, according to a press release from the regulator.

Goldman will pay $64.8 million. Of that total, $19.8 million will go back to consumers, while the bank will pay the other $45 million in penalties to the regulator. Separately, Apple will pay the CFPB $25 million for its role in marketing and servicing the Apple Card.

"Apple and Goldman Sachs illegally sidestepped their legal obligations for Apple Card borrowers," CFPB Director Rohit Chopra said in a statement, noting that the alleged misconduct affected hundreds of thousands of Apple Card customers.

The CFPB is banning Goldman from launching a new credit card unless it "can demonstrate that it can actually follow the law," Chopra added.

U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Rohit Chopra testifies before a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) director Rohit Chopra, in 2023. (REUTERS/Leah Millis/ File Photo) · Reuters / Reuters

The regulator also said Apple and Goldman misled many consumers into believing they would automatically get interest-free monthly payments when buying Apple devices. Instead, those same customers were charged interest.

Additionally, the CFPB said Goldman misled consumers about the application of some refunds, which led to consumers paying additional interest charges.

"Big Tech companies and big Wall Street firms should not behave as if they are exempt from federal law," Chopra added.

Both stocks fell Wednesday morning. Apple is down 2% as of noon, while Goldman is roughly flat.

In striking a card partnership with Apple in 2019, Goldman Sachs extended credit to consumers and handled servicing of their accounts, while Apple was in charge of the consumer interface design, marketing, and advertising.

As part of the agreement, Apple had the right to impose a $25 million penalty for each 90-day delay caused by Goldman.

The CFPB said its investigation found that Goldman's board of directors learned that critical Apple Card dispute systems were “not fully ready” due to technological issues four days before launch. The companies proceeded anyway.

That prompted millions of dollars in expenses to consumers due to failures within the card program to share and investigate customer disputes, properly convey payment plan details through marketing, and issue refunds through account servicing.

CHINA - 2024/04/22: In this photo illustration, a Goldman Sachs logo is displayed on the screen of an iPhone. (Photo Illustration by Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

In this photo illustration, a Goldman Sachs logo is displayed on the screen of an Apple iPhone. (Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) · SOPA Images via Getty Images

The fine from CFPB comes as Goldman attempts a tricky retreat from its forays into consumer lending.

Last week, Goldman reported a $415 million pretax hit in its third quarter, connected partly to the sale of its General Motors credit card program to Barclays. That loss included how much Barclays was willing to pay for the existing program, given the high write-offs associated with it.

Since 2020, total pretax losses linked to the consumer business have cost Goldman over $6 billion.

While the bank has narrowed much of those operations and benefited from a return in investment banking activity after a two-year drought, Goldman is still waiting to pass off its role in the Apple Card to another lender.

David Hollerith is a senior reporter for Yahoo Finance covering banking, crypto, and other areas in finance.

Click here for in-depth analysis of the latest stock market news and events moving stock prices.

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance

Read more --->