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Federal Reserve Banks
Federal Reserve
Bank of Boston

600 Atlantic Avenue
Boston, MA 02205
(617) 973-3000

Federal Reserve
Bank of New York

33 Liberty Street
New York, NY 10045
(212) 720-5000

Federal Reserve
Bank of Philadelphia

Ten Independence Mall
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 574-6000

Federal Reserve
Bank of Cleveland

1455 East Sixth Street
Cleveland, OH 44114
(216) 579-2000

Federal Reserve
Bank of Richmond

701 East Byrd Street
Richmond, VA 23219
(804) 697-8000

Federal Reserve
Bank of Atlanta

1000 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
(404) 498-8500

Federal Reserve
Bank of Chicago

230 South LaSalle Street
Chicago, IL 60604
(312) 322-5322

Federal Reserve
Bank of St. Louis

411 Locust Street
St. Louis, MO 63102
(314) 444-8444

Federal Reserve
Bank of Minneapolis

90 Hennepin Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55401
(612) 204-5000

Federal Reserve
Bank of Kansas City

925 Grand Boulevard
Kansas City, MO 64198
(816) 881-2000

Federal Reserve
Bank of Dallas

2200 North Pearl Street
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 922-6000

Federal Reserve
Bank of San Francisco

101 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 974-2000



Major Consumer Protection Laws
The major laws that govern financial institutions and protect individuals in their financial dealings are:
  • Truth in Lending Act requires a lender to tell you how much it will cost to borrow money so that you can compare the terms of credit offered by different lenders.
  • Fair Credit and Charge Card Disclosure Act requires a lender offering you a credit card to tell you the annual percentage rate (APR), the amount of any annual fee, and whether you have a grace period to pay your bill before a finance charge is added.
  • Fair Credit Reporting Act controls how your credit history (how you pay your bills) is kept by credit bureaus and used by lenders.
  • Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibits lenders from discriminating against you in a credit transaction on the basis of certain personal characteristics such as race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age, because you receive public assistance or because you've exercised your rights under the Consumer Credit Protection Act.
  • Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lays out the rules a debt collector must follow when trying to collect a debt from a consumer.
  • Home Equity Loan Consumer Protection Act requires a lender to give you complete information about the home equity loan plan it offers—first when you receive an application and again before you first use the line of credit.
  • The Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act requires disclosures and imposes substantive limitations on mortgage transactions having rates or fees above a certain percentage or amount. It also requires disclosures about the potential costs for reverse mortgages.
  • Fair Housing Act prohibits lenders from discriminating against you in real estate mortgage or home improvement loans on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, or handicap.
  • Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act states that lenders must give purchasers information about the costs required to close a mortgage loan. It also protects consumers from unnecessarily high real estate settlement costs by prohibiting certain business practices. This applies when you take out or refinance a loan secured by real estate such as a mortgage loan or a home equity loan.
  • Fair Credit Billing Act requires that a lender promptly correct a mistake on your credit card bill.
  • Expedited Funds Availability Act limits how long a bank may delay your use of the funds you deposit in an account.
  • Truth in Savings Act requires lenders to disclose the terms of their deposit accounts in a uniform way.
  • Electronic Fund Transfer Act limits an individual's liability if their ATM card is lost or stolen and calls for investigation and correction of errors made to your account.
  • Consumer Leasing Act requires the costs and the terms of a consumer lease, such as a lease for a car or for furniture, be outlined to you so that you can compare the cost of leasing.


Other Federal Agencies
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Consumer Response Center
2345 Grand Boulevard, Suite 100
Kansas City, MO 64108
1 (877) 275-3342, toll free
    (regulates state chartered banks that are not members of the Federal Reserve System)

National Credit Union Administration
Office of External Affairs
1775 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-3428
(703) 518-6330
    (regulates federally chartered credit unions)

Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Customer Assistance Unit
1301 McKinney Street, Suite 3450
Houston, TX 77010
1 (800) 613-6743, toll free
    (regulates banks with national in the name or N.A. after the name)

Office of Thrift Supervision
Consumer Programs
1700 G Street NW
Washington, DC 20552
1 (800) 842-6929, toll free
    (regulates federal savings and loans and federal savings banks)

Federal Trade Commission
Consumer Response Center
6th and Pennsylvania, NW
Washington, DC 20580
877-FTC-HELP, toll free (877-382-4357)
    (regulates finance companies, stores, auto dealers, mortgage companies, and credit bureaus)


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Last update: October 7, 2004