Financial Regulations

Financial regulation refers to the rules and laws firms operating in the financial industry, such as banks and credit unions must follow. However financial regulation is more than just having rules in place – it’s also about the ongoing oversight and enforcement of these rules.

The Central Bank of Ireland regulates and supervises financial service providers operating in Ireland. Since 2014, the responsibility for supervising banks is shared between the Central Bank of Ireland and the European Central Bank (ECB).

Poorly regulated financial institutions have the potential to undermine the stability of the financial system, harm consumers and can damage the prospects for the economy. That’s why strong financial regulation is important – to put rules in place to stop things from going wrong, and to safeguard the wider financial system and protect consumers if they do go wrong.

PSD2

Second Payment Services Directive

SEPA

From January 2025 we can now receive payments within 10 seconds. Ts&Cs apply.

Central Credit Register

Set up by the Central Bank of Ireland under the Credit Reporting Act 2013.

Deposit Guarantee Scheme

Please see below.

For more information please click on the following

The Payment Services Directive (PSD2) is a new law within the European Union that was introduced in January 2018 designed to benefit customers by enhancing transparency, giving you greater control over your data and will further protect your banking and purchases online. This will come into force on 14th September 2019.

What is Strong Customer Authentication (SCA)

Strong customer authentication (SCA) is the process that validates the identity of you the user when you log in to access online (cuOnline+) and mobile banking (cuAnywhere), and for further services such as making payments or changing your address.

From September you will be asked for additional security credentials. We will be sending you notifications to ask you to confirm that you have authorised payments, logged in or wish to make changes to your accounts. We will also implement additional fraud prevention measures.

How does SCA work?

From the 14th September when accessing your account or approving certain actions, you will be required to authenticate yourself using two out of three of the following:

  • Something you know – i.e. password or PIN
  • Something you have – i.e. mobile application
  • Something you are – i.e. fingerprint or facial recognition

When does SCA it come into effect?

SCA comes into effect on the 14th September 2019.

Why is this happening?

The second Payment Services Directive (PSD2) came into effect on the 13th January 2018 which contained 12 mandates. One of these mandates covered strong customer authentication, the Regulatory Technical Standards (RTS) which are effective from the 14th September 2019, details how the mandate should be implemented. Accordingly, all account providers, online retailers etc. are required to comply with these Standards.

When is SCA applied?

SCA will be used when you do any of the following actions on your cuOnline account:

  • Access your account,
  • Initiate a payment,
  • Initiate an action which may imply a risk of payment fraud, such as creating a new payee.

Can I opt out of using SCA?

No, the EU directive is mandatory and all cuOnline users will be required to complete SCA.

What do I need to do?

To make this change easier, please ensure that your mobile telephone number is correct on your cuOnline profile, you can call into any of our offices to update this information. Additionally, you will be required to provide photographic identification (current passport or driver’s license) and documentary evidence for proof of address (bank statement, utility bill or letter from Government Dept. dated within previous 3 months) to verify your personal data.

Give us a call on 096 71066, if you have any questions on your personal details held by Link Credit Union Limited.

For more information regarding PSD2, please refer to the Banking & Payments Federation Ireland website: https://bpfi.ie/?s=PSD2

With SEPA, it is now easier and faster for you to electronically transfer and receive funds in and out of your credit union account.

From January 2025, Ballina Credit Union members will be able to receive SEPA instant payments into their accounts. These payments will be received within 10 seconds and will be available
24/7, 365 days a year.

From October 2025, members will also be able to send SEPA instant payments. This update will necessitate changes to the terms and conditions, and further details will be provided before the service goes live.

What is SEPA?

SEPA stands for the Single Euro Payments Area set up to standardise the way all electronic payments are processed in the Euro area by introducing an IBAN on every account and BIC for every financial institution.

There are 36 countries in the SEPA zone, they are the 27 EU member states together with Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Monaco, San Marino, Switzerland, Andorra, Vatican City and the UK.

In other words, doing electronic banking transactions in any of these 36 countries is now the same as if you were doing it domestically within Ireland.

BIC and IBAN

You now have a 16 digit IBAN (International Bank Account Number) allocated to your credit union account and Ballina Credit Union has a BIC (Bank Identifier Code).

Your IBAN uniquely identifies your credit union account. Ballina Credit Union’s BIC uniquely identifies the name of our institution and Ireland as a country.

It is important to remember that IBAN is not a new account number but simply a new format for an existing account number which is recognised internationally.

Your IBAN is available on your Member Receipt, Statement, Online within CU Online Banking and by contacting Ballina Credit Union.

Ballina Credit Union BIC (Bank Identifier Code) is BLCIIE21XXX

The BIC is the same code for every member.

The European Union (Payment Services) Regulations 2018 (the “Regulations”)
REGULATION 76 INFORMATION

This is your ‘framework contract’ with us which contains information specified under Regulation 76 of the Regulations to be given to members in relation to the particular account referenced below. It is in addition to any other terms and conditions as may comprise or form part of your Framework Contract with us and are applicable to such account (and/or any payments made or applied on such account) as we may advise you of from time to time.

*This document relates to the Credit Union’s provision of payment services excluding current accounts, the terms of which are separate and available on the Credit Unions website.

Ballina Credit Union Limited is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

Contact details for the Central Bank are:

Registered Address: New Wapping Street, North Wall Quay, Dublin 1
Telephone: +353 (0)1 224 6000
Fax: +353 1 671 6550
Website: www.centralbank.ie

Contact Details for Ballina Credit Union Ltd. are:

Address:

O'Rahilly Street
Ballina
County Mayo
F26 YN25

Email:info@ballinacu.ie

Website: www.ballinacu.ie

Registered Number: 59CU

Opening Hours:
Monday:             Closed
Tuesday:            10am – 1:15pm and 1:45pm – 4:45pm
Wednesday:      10am – 1:15pm and 1:45pm – 4:45pm
Thursday:          10am – 1:15pm and 1:45pm – 4:45pm
Friday:               10am – 1:15pm and 1:45pm – 4:45pm
Saturday:           10am – 1:15pm

Each of the above, other than Saturday or a public holiday in Ireland, being a “Business Day” for the purposes of the Framework Contract.

Your Account

The following is a description of main characteristics of the account and payment services on the account:
Credit Union offers savings accounts to members with the following capabilities:

  • Lodging and withdrawing funds
  • Transferring funds internally to other accounts
  • Acceptance of funds transferred into a members account by Standing Order/Electronic Funds Transfer/Payroll Deduction
  • Acceptance of funds transferred into a members account by Debit Card
  • Once off Electronic transfer of funds out of a members account
  • Online account access
  • Bill Pay
  • ATM withdrawal cards

1. Giving an order for payment from your account:

When you give us an order to make a payment from your account, we will need you to provide us with the details of the beneficiary of the payment (i.e., their IBAN, together with any relevant identification details for the payment service provider (‘PSP’) with which they hold their account). Depending on how you place your order with us (i.e., online or in our offices) we may require you to verify that order by signature. In giving us this information, you will be consenting to our execution of that order for you. You cannot withdraw that consent after you have given it to us.

From October 2025, Credit Union will offer SEPA Instant Credit Transfers (SCT Inst), allowing members to make euro-denominated payments within 10 seconds across SEPA-participating financial institutions. These transactions can be executed 24/7/365, including weekends and holidays. To use SEPA Instant, members must provide the recipient’s IBAN and confirm transaction authorisation through online channels or in-office verification.  We will notify you when an outgoing SEPA Instant Credit Transfer has been processed, indicating whether or not it was successful. If we do not receive confirmation within 10 seconds that the payment was successful, we will restore your Account to the state it would have been in had the transaction not taken place. If we subsequently receive confirmation that the transaction was actually successful, and the payment has been made, we reserve the right to debit your account and make any other necessary adjustments.

2. Cut-off times:

When we are given an order in relation to a payment on your account, we must be given that order before 10.30 a.m. on one of our Business Days. If we are given that order after that time, we will be deemed to have received that order on our next following Business Day. If we agree with you that an order is to be executed on a particular Business Day, then we will be deemed to have received that order on that particular Business Day.

While standard SEPA credit transfers must be initiated before 10:30 AM on a business day for same-day processing, SEPA Instant credit transfers do not have cut-off times and are processed immediately.

3. Execution times:

Once we are deemed to have received an order under 2 above, we have up to the end of the first Business Day following the date of deemed receipt under 2 above to so credit that amount. If the order is initiated by paper, we will have an extra Business Day to do this.

Standard SEPA Credit Transfer: Funds are credited to the beneficiary’s Payment Service Provider (PSP) by the end of the next business day.

SEPA Instant Credit Transfer: Transactions are completed within 10 seconds, ensuring real-time payment availability.

4. Spending limits and payment instruments:

If we give you a payment instrument on your account (i.e., a card with a PIN number, or use of online channels with a password etc.), you may separately agree spending limits with us for use of a particular payment instrument.

If we give you such a payment instrument for your account, you must, as soon as you receive it, take all reasonable steps to keep its personalised security features safe. If the payment instrument is lost, stolen, misappropriated, or used in an unauthorised manner, you should notify us by phone at 096 71066 during working hours. We reserve the right to block your use of a payment instrument for any of the following reasons:

a) the security of the payment instrument;
b) if we suspect that it is, or has been, used in an unauthorised or fraudulent manner;
c) (if the payment instrument is connected with the provision by us of credit to you) a significantly increased risk that you may be unable to fulfil your obligations to pay; and
d) our national or community obligations

If we block your use of a payment instrument, we will inform you about it and the reasons for it by letter, email, secure online account messaging, text or telephone unless giving you that information would compromise our security or would be prohibited by law.

Subject to any other applicable limits, you can set your own personal transaction limit for SEPA Instant credit transfers through online channels or in-office service requests.  If you give us an order for a SEPA Instant credit transfer that exceeds the limit set by you it will be rejected.  Any SEPA Instant credit transfer transaction limit set by you can be changed at any time through online channels or in-office service requests.

5. Charges

Currently accounts offered by Ballina Credit Union do not incur charges.

6. Interest rates

If an interest rate applies to your account, you are told this when you open your account, and that interest rate is incorporated by reference into this Framework Contract. You can obtain confirmation of that interest rate by contacting us as set out at the top of this page.

7. Exchange rates

If any payment on your account (including a withdrawal by you from your account) involves a currency conversion being made by us, we will use a reference exchange rate. The reference exchange rate will change each business day, and this is the basis on which we will calculate the actual exchange rate. On the date on which we effect the currency conversion, we will take the reference exchange rate that applies on that date, add a fixed amount of commission and the total will be equal to the actual exchange rate that is used by us in the currency conversion. You can find out the daily changes to the reference exchange rate by contacting us as set out at the top of this page.
SEPA Instant transactions are processed in EUR only. If a cross-currency transfer is required, it will be processed using standard SEPA credit transfer rules, subject to applicable exchange rates and conversion times.

8. Giving you information

If we need to give you information or notice of any matters relating to this Framework Contract Information, we will do so in writing, by secure email or by SMS text unless we state otherwise herein. Included in the Annual General Meeting Booklet or posted on the notice board in the office. Such information or notice will be given to you promptly upon the requirement to do so arising.

9. Regulation 76 Information

For as long as you hold an account with us, you have the right to receive, at any time and on request by you, a copy of this Regulation 76 information on paper or, if possible, by secure email.

10. Payment Errors and Unauthorised transactions

If money is paid into or out of your Account in error, you agree to let us reverse the payment and to correct the entries in your Account. If we do this, we do not have to contact you to tell you beforehand.

In certain circumstances we may request your authority to recover a misdirected payment which has been credited to your Account. If your authority is not forthcoming, we will provide such of your details as may be required to the relevant Payer in order to assist their recovery of the misdirected payment(s). If there are insufficient funds in your Account, then you will still be responsible for the payment of this amount, to include any costs or expenses we incur.

Where any adjustment has been made to your Account through no fault of ours, you may have to pay us any charges associated with doing this and we may take any amount you owe us from your Account.

If you become aware of a transaction on your account that is unauthorised or incorrectly executed, you must tell us without undue delay and, in any event, within thirteen months of that transaction being debited from your account. You will be entitled to rectification from us if that transaction was unauthorised or incorrectly executed. If the transaction was unauthorised, we will refund the amount of it to you and, if necessary, restore your account to the state that it would have been in if the unauthorised transaction had not taken place PROVIDED THAT:

a) you will bear the loss of an unauthorised transaction on your account, up to a total of €50, if the unauthorised transaction resulted from (a) the use of a lost or stolen payment instrument, unless the loss or theft of the payment instrument was undetectable by you, or (b) your failure to keep the personalised security features of that payment instrument safe;

b) you will bear all losses relating to an unauthorised transaction on your account if you incurred those losses by acting fraudulently or by failing, intentionally or with a gross lack of reasonable care, to keep the payment instrument and its security features safe, to use it in accordance with any terms that we tell you are applicable to it, and to notify us promptly of it being lost, stolen, misappropriated or used in an unauthorised manner;

c) so long as you have not acted fraudulently you will not bear any financial consequences resulting from the use of a lost, stolen or misappropriated payment instrument once you have notified us in accordance with this Regulation 76 Information that it has been lost, stolen or misappropriated.

11. Refunds of direct debits

If a direct debit is taken from your account but:

a) your direct debit authorisation did not specify the exact amount of the payment; and
b) the amount of the payment exceeded the amount you could reasonably have expected taking into account your previous spending patterns, this Regulation 76 Information and other relevant circumstances; and
c) you give us such factual information as we may require; and
d) you did not give us consent in advance to the direct debit being taken from your account; and
e) neither we nor the beneficiary of the direct debit made information available to you about the transaction at least four weeks before the debit date,
then you may request a refund from us of that direct debit. We will then have ten Business Days to refund you or give you reasons for our refusal to refund you and that your right to refer the matter to the Financial Services & Pensions Ombudsman.

You may also request a refund for any direct debit payment for any reason for an eight-week period following the debit date.

12. Unique identifier

To process a SEPA Credit Transfer or SEPA Instant Credit Transfer, you must provide the recipient’s International Bank Account Number (IBAN). This is the unique identifier required to ensure the correct execution of the payment. If an incorrect IBAN is provided, the transaction may be rejected or misdirected, and recovery efforts will follow standard non-execution procedures.

If you give us an order to make a payment from your account and we execute it in accordance with the unique identifier (IBAN) provided by you, we will be taken to have executed it correctly as regards the beneficiary of that order. If you give us an incorrect unique identifier, we will not be liable for the non-execution, or defective execution, of the order. We will, however, make reasonable efforts to recover the funds involved.

13. Our liability if you make a payment out of your account

If you give us an order to make a payment from your account, we are liable to you for its correct execution unless we can prove to you (and if necessary, to the beneficiary’s PSP) that the beneficiary’s PSP received the payment. If we are so liable to you for a defective or incorrectly executed order, we will refund the amount of it to you and, if applicable, restore your account to the state that it would have been in if the defective or incorrect transaction had not taken place. Irrespective of whether we are liable to you or not in these circumstances, we will try to trace the transaction and notify you of the outcome.

14. Our liability if you receive a payment into your account

If the payer’s PSP can prove that we received the payment for you, then we will be liable to you. If we are liable to you, we will immediately place the amount of the transaction at your disposal and credit the amount to your account. If you have arranged for a direct debit to be paid into your account, we will be liable to transmit that order to the payer’s PSP. We will ensure that the amount of the transaction is at your disposal immediately after it is credited to our account. If we are not liable as set out above, the payer’s PSP will be liable to the payer for the transaction. Regardless of whether we are liable or not, we will immediately try to trace the transaction and notify you of the outcome.

If a SEPA Instant Credit Transfer is received into a member’s account, Credit Union will ensure that funds are immediately credited and available for use, in accordance with EU Regulation 2021/1230. If there are any delays due to system outages or security checks, the Credit Union will notify the affected member immediately.

15. Security and Fraud Prevention Measures

Due to the irreversible nature of SEPA Instant Credit Transfers, Ballina Credit Union has implemented enhanced fraud detection and monitoring measures. Members are encouraged to verify recipient details before initiating a SEPA Instant Credit Transfer, as unauthorized transactions may not be recoverable.

When making a SEPA Credit Transfer or SEPA Instant Credit Transfer you may be asked to verify the unique identifier and beneficiary details provided. This is known as Verification of Payee, and it is important that you check the response provided by the PSP of the beneficiary.  If you tell us to proceed with a payment following the Verification of Payee response, we will rely on the details provided by you and will have no liability to you if the details provided were incorrect.

If the Verification of Payee service is not available when it should be or if it incorrectly indicates a match resulting in the incorrect execution of the transaction, we will refund you and restore your account to the state it would have been in if the transaction not taken place.

For further details regarding SEPA Instant Credit Transfers and compliance with PSD2 and SEPA Scheme Rules, members can contact our support team or visit the Credit Union’s website.

16. Duration, changes, and termination

Your contract with us, as detailed in this Framework Information, is of indefinite duration.

If we want to change any part of this Regulation 76 Information (other than our telephone number), we will usually give you at least two months’ written notice of the proposed change where required by law to do so. If you do not notify us within that two-month period that you do not accept the proposed change, you will be deemed to have accepted it. If you do not want to accept the proposed change, you must notify us in writing and you will be allowed to terminate your contract with us in relation to the account to which this Framework Contract Information relates immediately and without charge before the end of that two-month period. If we change an interest rate or an exchange rate in a way that is more favourable to you, we have the right to apply that change immediately and write to you soon afterwards confirming that change.

There are certain circumstances where we may give you shorter notice than two months or where we will not tell you about changes or tell you about changes after we make them. This may happen where:

  • the change is in your favour (e.g. where we reduce fees and charges on your Account or change an interest or exchange rate in your favour);
  • the change is required under law or regulation by a particular date, and there is not enough time to give you the usual notice;
  • the change is to introduce a new product or service that you can use in relation to your Account;
  • the change has no impact on the operation of your Account (for example, we make a change to a term we use to describe something in this Agreement); or
  • the change relates to certain benefits that may apply to your Account that are subject to eligibility criteria and their own terms and conditions.

We can also change an exchange rate immediately and without notice if that change is based upon the reference exchange rate agreed in this Framework Contract.

You may terminate your contract with us in relation to the account to which this Framework Contract relates on one months’ notice in writing. We may terminate our contract with you in relation to the account to which this Framework Contract relates on giving you two months’ notice in writing.

17. Governing law and language

This Framework Contract shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Ireland, and all communication between us and you during our contractual relationship shall be conducted in English.

18. Redress

If you have a complaint in relation to the matters governed by the Framework Contract, you can write to us and we will deal with your complaint in accordance with our obligations under the Regulations. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the internal process, you may refer your complaint to the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman. Contact details are as follows: Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman Bureau, 3rd Floor, Lincoln House, Lincoln Place, Dublin 2 D02 VH29. Tel. (01) 567 7000 E-mail: info@fspo.ie

19. Consent

By maintaining and/or carrying our transactions on this account, you explicitly consent to us accessing, processing, and retaining personal data necessary for the provision of these payment services.

The Central Credit Register (CCR) has been set up by the Central Bank of Ireland under the Credit Reporting Act 2013.

The Central Credit Register is a centralised system for collecting personal and credit information on consumer loans.

As set out under the Credit Reporting Act 2013, the Central Bank of Ireland is in charge of operating the Register.

The Register collects and stores personal and credit information from lenders about the loans they give to consumers. Lenders who give out loans of €500 or more will have to transfer information on these loans to the Register.

The Credit Reporting Act 2013 requires Ballina Credit Union Ltd. to process your personal and credit information for the CCR.

From 30 June 2017 we are required to submit personal information to the CCR that we may already have about you, such as:

  • name
  • address
  • date of birth
  • gender
  • telephone number, and
  • your personal public service number (PPS)

The CCR requires this information to accurately match your loans, including loans you may have with other lenders. We are also required to submit credit information each month about your loans, if the loan is over €500 or more. Your loan information will be stored securely on the CCR where it will be used to create your credit report. Information will be held on the CCR for five years after your loan is repaid.

Over 500 lenders are included on the register detailing borrowings relating to Credit Cards, Mortgages, Overdrafts, Personal Loans, Hire Purchase and Personal Contract Plans (PCPs).

Personal Data

The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner has set out strict rules around collecting and processing personal information, which is available at www.dataprotection.ie. Your personal and credit information is stored securely on the Register and released only when you or a lender requests it. The Central Bank owns the information held on the Register and is a data controller under the Data Protection Acts.

You may request your credit report from the CCR at any time and are entitled to one free report each calendar year.

Lenders may only access your credit report:

  • when considering an application for a new loan
  • if you ask to change the terms of a loan or
  • if reviewing a loan in arrears

Please ensure that you include a copy of Documentation showing your PPSN with all future loans.

  • Proof of your PPS Number- This must be in the form of an official document from the Revenue Commissioners or Department of Social and Family Affairs, which contains your name and PPS No. (Copy of your tax credits, P60, Social Services Card etc.) The Personal Public Services Card cannot be used for this purpose.

CCR Area: www.centralcreditregister.ie/consumer-area/

Website: www.centralcreditregister.ie

Email: consumerinfo@centralcreditregister.ie

LoCall: 1890 100 050

Landline: 01 2245500

If you would like more information please contact Ballina Credit Union today.

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