(Reuters) – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is investigating major U.S. banks for their handling of customer funds on the peer-to-peer payments platform Zelle, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
The probe focuses on JPMorgan, Bank of America and Wells Fargo among other large banks, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.
JPMorgan last week had disclosed in a filing that it was responding to the CFPB’s inquiries regarding Zelle and was considering whether to sue a U.S. consumer watchdog over the agency’s inquiries.
The proliferation of fraud and scams on Zelle, which is owned by seven major banks including JPMorgan and Bank of America, has drawn attention from U.S. lawmakers including Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren and regulators concerned about consumer protection.
Banks have argued that covering the cost of scams will encourage more fraud and potentially cost billions of dollars.
Spokespeople for JPMorgan, Wells Fargo and BofA declined to comment. The CFPB did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
(Reporting by Jaiveer Singh Shekhawat in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)
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