CFR

210.5—Account requirements for Federal payments.

(a) Notwithstanding ACH Rules 2.1.2, 4.1.3, and Appendix Two, section 2.2 (listing general ledger and loan accounts as permissible transaction codes), an ACH credit entry representing a Federal payment other than a vendor payment shall be deposited into a deposit account at a financial institution. For all payments other than vendor payments, the account at the financial institution shall be in the name of the recipient, except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section.

(b) (1) Where an authorized payment agent has been selected, the Federal payment shall be deposited into an account titled in accordance with the regulations governing the authorized payment agent.

(2) Where a Federal payment is to be deposited into an investment account established through a securities broker or dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or an investment account established through an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or its transfer agent, such payment may be deposited into an account designated by such broker or dealer, investment company, or transfer agent.

(3) Where an agency is issuing part or all of an employee's travel reimbursement payment to the official travel card issuing bank, as authorized or required by Office of Management and Budget guidance or the Federal Travel Regulation, the ACH credit entry representing the payment may be deposited to the account of the travel card issuing bank for credit to the employee's travel card account at the bank.

(4) Where a Federal payment is to be disbursed through a debit card, stored value card, prepaid card or similar payment card program established by the Service, the Federal payment may be deposited to an account at a financial institution designated by the Service as a financial or fiscal agent. The account title, access terms and other account provisions may be specified by the Service.

(5) (i) Where a Federal payment is to be deposited to an account accessed by the recipient through a prepaid card that meets the following requirements:

(A) The account is held at an insured financial institution;

(B) The account is set up to meet the requirements for pass-through deposit or share insurance such that the funds accessible through the card are insured for the benefit of the recipient by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund in accordance with applicable law ( 12 CFR part 330 or 12 CFR part 745 );

(C) The account is not attached to a line of credit or loan agreement under which repayment from the account is triggered upon delivery of the Federal payments; and

(D) The issuer of the card complies with all of the requirements, and provides the holder of the card with all of the consumer protections, that apply to a payroll card account under the rules implementing the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, as amended.

(ii) No person or entity may issue a prepaid card that receives Federal payments in violation of this subsection, and no financial institution may maintain an account for or on behalf of an issuer of a prepaid card that receives Federal payments if the issuer violates this paragraph.

(iii) For the purposes of this paragraph (b)(5), the term—

(A) “Payroll card account” shall have the same meaning as that term is defined in the rules implementing the Electronic Fund Transfer Act;

(B) “Prepaid card” means a card, code, or other means of access to funds of a recipient; and

(6) The Secretary of the Treasury may waive the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section in any case or class of cases.

Code of Federal Regulations

[64 FR 17478, Apr. 9, 1999, as amended at 65 FR 18869, Apr. 7, 2000; 73 FR 52584, Sept. 10, 2008; 75 FR 80339, Dec. 22, 2010]

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