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The government agency that proposed a controversial expansion by the U.S. Postal Service into financial services now acknowledges that its big ideas would probably require the passage of new legislation.
May 21 -
Bank industry representatives initially panned the concept of the Postal Service offering retail banking products. But as the government official behind the idea has made clear that he is interested in collaboration with the private sector, attitudes have begun to change.
November 13 -
David Williams, the U.S. Postal Service's inspector general, defends a proposal that the Postal Service should get into banking that has come under fire from many in the financial industry.
March 28 -
The proposal to let the U.S. Postal Service become a bank is a hard sell, but the idea has legs for political, legal and business reasons. Here are answers to the top questions about the provocative idea.
February 13
It was an ambitious vision millions of Americans receiving their paychecks on Postal Service prepaid cards, and heading to their neighborhood post office for affordable small-dollar loans and now it's been chopped down to size.
In a January 2014
The follow-up
The new report from the postal IG's office acknowledges that its big ideas from last year are unlikely to be approved under current law. So it focuses instead on a smaller set of moves that might allow the Postal Service to establish a toehold in the U.S. consumer finance market.
"It may be most feasible for the Postal Service to start small with what it can currently do and then expand strategically once it has proven success," the report states.
Even baby steps would have to be approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission, but the inspector general's office expressed optimism that several proposed forays deeper into financial services could get the necessary regulatory approval.
Spokeswomen for both the Postal Service and the commission declined to comment, saying that their agencies have yet to fully review the report. The Consumer Bankers Association and the Independent Community Bankers of America, two trade groups that voiced strong opposition last year, had no immediate comment on the follow-up report.
The American Bankers Association reiterated its opposition to expanded postal banking.
"The Postal Service could be perceived as a government-endorsed and preferred provider of financial products," Ken Clayton, the group's chief counsel, said in an email. "This would harm the ability of local institutions to service their customers and meet the needs of their communities."
The new 43-page report estimates that the Postal Service could generate $1.1 billion in annual revenue by making several moves that likely would not require congressional approval. That is far below the $8.9 billion in new revenue that was projected 16 months ago.
What follows is a look at several of the report's ideas.
Expand international remittances. The Postal Service already offers a remittance service that it calls "Sure Money," or "Dinero Seguro." But last year the product was only offered in 800 post offices, according to the report, out of more than 30,000 USPS retail locations nationwide.
What's more, the Postal Service currently allows Americans to send money to only four nations among the top 10 recipients of remittances from the United States. Immigrants who have relatives in China, India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Nigeria and South Korea cannot use the service.
"If the Postal Service revamped and expanded Dinero Seguro beyond its current reach and into the top markets, it could become a truly useful and robust product," the report argues.
Offer domestic money transfers. Americans who need to send emergency cash elsewhere in the U.S. often turn to Western Union, MoneyGram or Walmart,
Such a move would benefit from the large existing network of post offices, but the Postal Service has certain disadvantages in the money-transfer business. "The current operating hours at many post offices may not be convenient for all customers, but these hours could be adjusted to reflect customer demand if necessary and appropriate," the report states.
Expand check cashing services. Today, post offices only allow their customers to cash checks issued by the Postal Service or the U.S. Treasury. The report suggests that enabling customer to cash their payroll checks could offer a significant opportunity for the Postal Service, though it also notes the risks that stem from consumers fraudulently seeking to cash bad checks.
Lease space for ATMs, or operate its own cash machines. At least 11,000 post offices nationwide likely have enough foot traffic to justify the addition of ATMs, which could be part of a surcharge-free network, according to the report. The ATMs could either be owned by the Postal Service or privately owned by operators that lease space.
"The Postal Service could place its ATMs in areas like lobbies that are accessible after post office windows close for the day, so that customers can access ATMs anytime," the report notes.
Improve marketing of USPS money orders. The Postal Service is already the nation's largest provider of paper money orders, having sold 97 million of them last year.
But the inspector general's report argues that the USPS product has certain advantages over the money orders sold by convenience stores, pharmacies and check cashers. Those include its perceived security and the receiver's ability to get paid quickly and reliably.
"The Postal Service could market these advantages," the report states, "particularly to small online sellers that often use the Postal Service to ship their merchandise."
