Tap any paragraph to write a margin note. Your notes collect in the Desk below the text and file under cases with @. The side-by-side margin rail opens on a larger screen.

Code · U.S. Code · Title 12 - BANKS AND BANKING · CHAPTER 41— EXPEDITED FUNDS AVAILABILITY · § 4010

§ 4010. Civil liability

647 words·~3 min read·/usc/title-12/section-4010

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

(a)Civil liability Except as otherwise provided in this section, any depository institution which fails to comply with any requirement imposed under this chapter or any regulation prescribed under this chapter with respect to any person other than another depository institution is liable to such person in an amount equal to the sum of—
(1)any actual damage sustained by such person as a result of the failure;
(A)in the case of an individual action, such additional amount as the court may allow, except that the liability under this subparagraph shall not be less than $100 nor greater than $1,000; or
(B)in the case of a class action, such amount as the court may allow, except that—
(i)as to each member of the class, no minimum recovery shall be applicable; and
(ii)the total recovery under this subparagraph in any class action or series of class actions arising out of the same failure to comply by the same depository institution shall not be more than the lesser of $500,000 or 1 percent of the net worth of the depository institution involved; and
(3)in the case of any successful action to enforce the foregoing liability, the costs of the action, together with a reasonable attorney’s fee as determined by the court.
(b)Class action awards In determining the amount of any award in any class action, the court shall consider, among other relevant factors—
(1)the amount of any actual damages awarded;
(2)the frequency and persistence of failures of compliance;
(3)the resources of the depository institution;
(4)the number of persons adversely affected; and
(5)the extent to which the failure of compliance was intentional.
(c)Bona fide errors
(1)General rule A depository institution may not be held liable in any action brought under this section for a violation of this chapter if the depository institution demonstrates by a preponderance of the evidence that the violation was not intentional and resulted from a bona fide error, notwithstanding the maintenance of procedures reasonably adapted to avoid any such error.
(2)Examples Examples of a bona fide error include clerical, calculation, computer malfunction and programming, and printing errors, except that an error of legal judgment with respect to a depository institution’s obligation under this chapter is not a bona fide error.
(d)Jurisdiction Any action under this section may be brought in any United States district court, or in any other court of competent jurisdiction, within one year after the date of the occurrence of the violation involved.
(e)Reliance on Board rulings No provision of this section imposing any liability shall apply to any act done or omitted in good faith in conformity with any rule, regulation, or interpretation thereof by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, notwithstanding the fact that after such act or omission has occurred, such rule, regulation, or interpretation is amended, rescinded, or determined by judicial or other authority to be invalid for any reason.
(f)Authority to establish rules regarding losses and liability among depository institutions The Board is authorized to impose on or allocate among depository institutions the risks of loss and liability in connection with any aspect of the payment system, including the receipt, payment, collection, or clearing of checks, and any related function of the payment system with respect to checks. Liability under this subsection shall not exceed the amount of the check giving rise to the loss or liability, and, where there is bad faith, other damages, if any, suffered as a proximate consequence of any act or omission giving rise to the loss or liability.
(Pub. L. 100–86, title VI, § 611, Aug. 10, 1987, 101 Stat. 650.)
Connections20 cite this · traces to 1
3 references not yet in our index
  • Pub. L. 100–86, title VI, § 611
  • 101 Stat. 650
  • section 613(b) of Pub. L. 100–86
Citation graph
cites case law
§ 4010
Civil liability
Fed. Reg.×16
C.F.R.×2
Stat. Comp.×1
Stat.×1
Pub. L.Pub. L. 100–86, title VI, § 611
Stat.101 Stat. 650
Pub. L.section 613(b) of Pub. L. 100–86
Cites 4Cited by 20 across 4 sources
★   the supreme law of the land   ★
Don't Tread on Me
E Pluribus Unum — out of many, one

"If you don't know your rights, you don't have any."

Marginalia · a citizen's law index
A research desk, not legal advice. Always read the cited source before relying on a summary.
Questions or an issue? support@self-law.org
disclaimerMarginalia is a research index, not a law firm. Nothing on this site is legal, tax, or financial advice and no attorney–client relationship is formed by using it. Statutes, regulations, and case law change; summaries, search results, AI output, and member posts may be incomplete, out of date, or wrong. Any interpretation drawn from material on this site should be validated by a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction before you act on it.