CFPB Sues Walmart, Branch Messenger Over Illegal Payment Accounts For Delivery Drivers

(RTTNews) - The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Monday filed a lawsuit against Walmart (WMT) and work-scheduling platform Branch Messenger for allegedly forcing delivery drivers to use costly deposit accounts in order to get paid and for deceiving workers— "last mile" drivers in Walmart's Spark Driver program—about how they could access their earnings.

The CFPB's lawsuit alleges that Walmart and Branch opened Branch accounts for Spark Drivers, and Walmart then deposited drivers' pay into these accounts, without the drivers' consent.

"Walmart made false promises, illegally opened accounts, and took advantage of more than a million delivery drivers," said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. "Companies cannot force workers into getting paid through accounts that drain their earnings with junk fees."

Walmart allegedly told Spark Drivers that they were required to use Branch to get paid and that they would terminate workers who did not want to use these accounts.

Walmart and Branch also misled workers about the availability of same-day access to their earnings. Drivers had to follow a complex process to access their funds, and when they finally did, they faced further delays or fees if they needed to transfer the money they earned into an account of their choice. This resulted in workers paying more than $10 million in fees to transfer their earnings to an account of their choice.

Meanwhile, Walmart has reportedly disputed the agency's allegations.

"The CFPB's rushed lawsuit is riddled with factual errors and contains exaggerations and blatant misstatements of settled principles of law," a Walmart spokesperson wrote in a statement to CNBC. "The CFPB never allowed Walmart a fair opportunity to present its case during their rushed investigation."