Gain legal guidance from the attorneys of Schwartz & Ballen

The USA Patriot Act and Bank Secrecy Act are areas in which Schwartz & Ballen is assisting banks and other financial institutions in establishing new procedures relating to recordkeeping and compliance requirements. The legislation requires banks and other financial institutions to develop programs to prevent the institution's facilities from being used for money laundering and terrorist activities.

The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act has placed Schwartz & Ballen in the leadership role of providing indispensable information and legal guidance to affected financial institutions. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act swept away the remaining restrictions that prevented the affiliation of banking, insurance and securities firms. As a result, financial holding companies may engage in any financial activity, including merchant banking, with a minimum of regulatory scrutiny.

Updates and analysis of the Fair Credit Reporting Act

Interpreting the Fair Credit Reporting Act ("FCRA") is one area where financial institutions and others have come to rely on Schwartz & Ballen for legal guidance. The Fair Credit Reporting Act, which establishes requirements for companies that use consumer credit reports or provide information to consumer reporting agencies, is of great importance to those involved in modern financial services. They are also actively engaged in implementing the Check Truncation Act, which aims to improve the electronic collection of checks nationwide

The attorneys at Schwartz & Ballen specialize in paper and electronic payment matters. They are well known for their work with check and Automated Clearing House organizations as well as ATM and POS networks, credit and debit card systems, Internet payment products and stored value payment products. Respected members of the firm have authored articles concerning payment system issues for major legal journals.

Consult the experts in telemarketing laws and do not call rules.

Telemarketing laws such as the Federal Trade Commission's ("FTC") Telemarketing Sales Rule and the Federal Communication's ("FCC") Do Not Call Rule are specific areas of expertise for Schwartz & Ballen. They provide legal guidance in interpreting these telemarketing laws that require sellers and phone-marketers to make certain disclosures to consumers and establish procedures to ensure that they do not solicit consumers who have added their numbers to the national do not call list.

The Schwartz & Ballen web site provides complete coverage

The Schwartz & Ballen web site provides succinct analyses of laws and regulations that affect financial institutions (banks, thrifts, bank holding companies, savings and loan associations, credit unions) in addition to providing the text of significant new laws and regulations. While major emphasis is placed on federal laws and regulation, significant state actions are also covered as are important court cases. The analyses are grouped by areas of expertise - privacy, money laundering, Federal Reserve Board, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of Thrift Supervision, Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council, Federal Trade Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission.