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January 17, 2019

Jewelry company to pay $11M for opening unauthorized credit cards

gavelSterling Jewelers, Inc., will pay $10 million to the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection and $1 million to the state of New York to settle claims that it violated the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) and Truth in Lending Act (TILA).

A bureau investigation found that Sterling Jewelers opened store credit card accounts without consumer consent, enrolled customers in payment protection without their consent, and misrepresented the finance terms associated with the credit cards.

In addition, the company violated TILA by signing customers up for credit card accounts without having received an oral or written request or application from the customer.

Sterling Jewelers operates more than 1,500 jewelry stores in the U.S., including retailers such as Kay Jewelers.

NAFCU has various compliance resources related to credit card accounts available online.