Tipton, Financial Services Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Expand Banking Access in Rural Colorado

Press Release

U.S. Reps. Scott Tipton (CO-03), Randy Hultgren (IL-14), and Terri Sewell (AL-07) introduced the bipartisan Making Online Banking Initiation Legal and Easy (MOBILE) Act of 2016 (H.R. 6287) to expand access to banking services for families in rural communities throughout Colorado and the United States.

"There are many families in rural communities across the country who are struggling to achieve financial security because they can't easily get to a bank to open checking or savings accounts. Smartphones can change this, but we need our laws to catch up to the technology," Tipton said. "The MOBILE Act would help remove some of the barriers families in rural Colorado face when it comes to banking access."

The MOBILE Act would clarify existing federal law and solidify a uniform standard of compliance for mobile banking services. Specifically, the bill ensures financial institutions can "swipe" the machine readable zone on state issued identification cards and record and store the information for the purposes of verifying the identity of a bank customer and preventing fraud or criminal activity.

Original cosponsor of the MOBILE Act, U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren (IL-14), said, "As the needs of banking customers change in the 21st Century, hardworking Americans -- especially those with low and moderate incomes -- need access to traditional banking services that may not be easily accessible in their communities. I am proud to cosponsor the MOBILE Act, which will make it easier for my constituents to open a bank account from their mobile device."

"Access to capital is a constant struggle for many rural communities in Alabama and across the country. As we work together to help bridge the gap of economic inequality and financial insecurity, access to traditional banking and financial services is critically important," added U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07). "The MOBILE Act helps to ensure that our underserved and underbanked communities will be able to access and better manage their personal finances through the convenience of online banking using their mobile devices. I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing this bipartisan and common sense piece of legislation that expands traditional banking opportunities to millions of hardworking Americans."

The MOBILE Act has been referred to the House Committee on Financial Services, of which Tipton, Hultgren, and Sewell are all members.

"Today, most people are walking around with their own personal bank in their purse or pocket," Tipton added. "The MOBILE Act allows our families to use smartphone technology to its fullest potential, while having the assurance that their private information is secure."

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