May 11 (Reuters) - Toronto Dominion Bank agreed to pay $62
million to settle U.S. lawsuits accusing it of charging
customers excessive overdraft fees.
The Canadian lender's TD Bank unit joined Bank of America
Corp, JPMorgan Chase & Co and several smaller lenders in
settling litigation over the fees, which are usually assessed
when customers overdraw their checking accounts.
TD did not admit liability in agreeing to the settlement,
which was reached on May 8th, according to a court filing.
Representatives of the bank did not immediately respond to
requests for comment. Robert Gilbert, a lawyer for the
plaintiffs, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
The settlement requires approval by U.S. District Judge
James Lawrence King in Miami. He oversees overdraft cases
against more than 30 lenders that were consolidated in 2009.
Customers accused banks of routinely processing transactions
from largest to smallest rather than in chronological order.
They said this caused overdraft fees, typically $25 to $35
per transaction, to pile up faster because it caused their
balances to go negative sooner.
In 2010, the U.S. Federal Reserve barred banks from charging
overdraft fees on electronic and debit card transactions without
advance customer approval.
Bank of America's $410 million settlement won final court
approval last May, and is the largest to date. Other settlements
include $137.5 million by Royal Bank of Scotland Group Inc's
Citizens Financial unit and $110 million by JPMorgan.
Citigroup Inc and Wells Fargo & Co are among the larger
banks that have yet to settle.
The case is In re: Checking Account Overdraft Litigation,
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida, No.
09-md-02036.
(Reporting By Jonathan Stempel)
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