The American Bankers Association urged the FDIC yesterday to modernize its signage requirements to reflect new technologies and provide clarity about requirements regarding displays, promotional materials and social media advertising. In response to an FDIC request for information about revisions to sign and advertising rules, ABA in a joint letter with the Bank Policy Institute said that it supports effort to modernize these rules, which were last updated in 2006.
The groups recommended that signage requirements permit depository institutions to display a single sign in one prominent location per branch, “allowing for electronic displays and that similarly, signage requirements should be updated to require insured depository institutions to display an FDIC sign or logo only on the homepage or landing page of their online or mobile platform.” ABA and BPI also recommended that the FDIC increase the accessibility and transparency of its tools to help consumers differentiate between banks and non-insured financial providers.
Additionally, the groups emphasized that “any changes or clarifications the FDIC makes should be flexible enough to adapt to both the present and the future,” and enable banks to address yet-unknown challenges. “Ensuring flexibility, rather than implementing prescriptive requirements that may impose additional burdens on banks, will better permit banks to adjust to the needs of an ever-changing marketplace.”
