The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System has released two online publications designed to help people understand important new consumer protection rules. The two publications are the latest installments in the Board's What You Need to Know series of online consumer education guides. The first of the new guides, What You Need to Know: New Overdraft Rules for Debit and ATM Cards, explains new overdraft protections that take effect July 1, 2010. The protections prohibit financial institutions from charging overdraft fees for ATM (automated teller machine) and one-time debit card transactions unless consumers have opted in to an overdraft service plan for those types of transactions. The second guide, What You Need to Know: New Rules for Gift Cards, explains how new rules that take effect August 22, 2010, will govern the fees, expiration dates, and disclosures applied to prepaid gift cards. Both guides are available at www.federalreserve.gov/consumerinfo.
