The Consumer Payment Research Center (CPRC) seeks to contribute to the development of sound and effective public policy in the area of payment systems that helps maximize the overall welfare of all members of the economy.
Latest News
Potential Effects of an Increase in Debit Card Fees
September 22, 2011
Recently announced changes to debit card interchange fees could lead to an increase in the cost of debit cards to consumers. This policy brief analyzes the potential effects of an increase in debit card fees or in bank account fees by using the results of the 2008 and 2009 Survey of Consumer Payment Choice.
U.S. Consumers Slow to Adopt Mobile Payments
June 1, 2011
The latest Survey of Consumer Payment Choice (SCPC) indicates that only a small minority of
Americans currently use their mobile phones as a means of making payments.
Latest Presentations
Evolving Consumer Financial Services Marketplace: Payments and Banking 
Presentation by Scott Schuh, Director and Economist, Consumer Payments Research Center, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, at the annual conference of the Consumer Federation of America, Washington DC, December 1, 2011
Survey of Consumer Payment Choice (SCPC) Updates
2009: The 2009 SCPC data files have been released. Click here to learn more and download the data. The full results of the 2009 SCPC are also available, which have been released as Public Policy Discussion Paper No. 11-1. The results are shown in 32 tables that compare and contrast consumers’ adoption and use of nine instruments encompassing paper, card, and online payment methods.
2011: The 2011 SCPC is currently being administered to respondents across the country. This year a pilot of a consumer payment diary designed by the CPRC was conducted. Details will be released soon. Sign up for the CPRC newsletter to receive the latest updates.
Latest Research
Account-to-Account Electronic Money Transfers: Recent Developments in the United States
by Oz Shy
This paper reviews recent developments in online and mobile banking in the United States that provide bank account holders with low-cost interfaces to manage account-to-account electronic money transfers.
Public Policy Discussion Paper No. 11-10
An Economic Analysis of the 2010 Proposed Settlement between the Department of Justice and Credit Card Networks
by Scott Schuh, Oz Shy, Joanna Stavins, and Robert Triest
This paper evaluates the extent to which the recently proposed settlement between the Department of Justice and Visa and MasterCard will meet its stated objectives.
Public Policy Discussion Paper No. 11-04
