Florida Senate - 2024                                     SB 772
       
       
        
       By Senator Rouson
       
       
       
       
       
       16-00565A-24                                           2024772__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to misdescription of beneficiaries and
    3         banks; amending s. 670.207, F.S.; revising
    4         requirements for rights as a beneficiary of a payment
    5         order and acceptance of the order when the beneficiary
    6         is a nonexistent or unidentifiable person or account;
    7         removing rules relating to accepted payment orders;
    8         amending s. 670.208, F.S.; revising requirements
    9         relating to the misdescription of banks for
   10         intermediaries and beneficiaries; providing an
   11         effective date.
   12          
   13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   14  
   15         Section 1. Section 670.207, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   16  read:
   17         670.207 Misdescription of beneficiary.—
   18         (1)(a) Subject to subsection (2), if, in a payment order
   19  received by the beneficiary’s bank, the name, bank account
   20  number, or other identification of the beneficiary refers to a
   21  nonexistent or unidentifiable person or account, no person has
   22  rights as a beneficiary of the order and acceptance of the order
   23  cannot occur.
   24         (b)(2)If A payment order received by the beneficiary’s
   25  bank must identify identifies the beneficiary both by name and
   26  by an identifying or bank account number. If and the name and
   27  number identify different persons, no person has rights as a the
   28  following rules apply:
   29         (a)Except as otherwise provided in subsection (3), if the
   30  beneficiary’s bank does not know that the name and number refer
   31  to different persons, it may rely on the number as the proper
   32  identification of the beneficiary of the order and acceptance of
   33  the order cannot occur.
   34         (2)(a) The beneficiary’s bank must need not determine in
   35  good faith, and using reasonable care, whether the name and
   36  number refer to the same person. The duty of reasonable care
   37  must include, at a minimum, an automated system for name and
   38  number match which escalates any transaction with any
   39  discrepancy to a human reviewer.
   40         (b) If the bank cannot reasonably verify beneficiary’s bank
   41  pays the person identified by name or knows that the name and
   42  number refer to the same person identify different persons, no
   43  person has rights as beneficiary except the person paid by the
   44  beneficiary’s bank if that person was entitled to receive
   45  payment from the originator of the funds transfer. If no person
   46  has rights as beneficiary, acceptance of the order cannot occur
   47  until the bank has verified with the originator or the receiving
   48  bank that the payment order should be processed and any
   49  discrepancy is corrected.
   50         (3) If a payment order described in subsection (2) is
   51  accepted, the originator’s payment order described the
   52  beneficiary inconsistently by name and number, and the
   53  beneficiary’s bank pays any person whom the originator did not
   54  intend to pay, then the originator is not obliged to pay its
   55  order, unless the originator was grossly negligent in sending
   56  the original instructions, and the beneficiary’s bank was
   57  diligent in ascertaining whether the number and name referred to
   58  the same person. the person identified by number as permitted by
   59  paragraph (2)(a), the following rules apply:
   60         (a)If the originator is a bank, the originator is obliged
   61  to pay its order.
   62         (b)If the originator is not a bank and proves that the
   63  person identified by number was not entitled to receive payment
   64  from the originator, the originator is not obliged to pay its
   65  order unless the originator’s bank proves that the originator,
   66  before acceptance of the originator’s order, had notice that
   67  payment of a payment order issued by the originator might be
   68  made by the beneficiary’s bank on the basis of an identifying or
   69  bank account number even if it identifies a person different
   70  from the named beneficiary. Proof of notice may be made by any
   71  admissible evidence. The originator’s bank satisfies the burden
   72  of proof if it proves that the originator, before the payment
   73  order was accepted, signed a writing stating the information to
   74  which the notice relates.
   75         (4) In a case governed by paragraph (2)(a), If the
   76  beneficiary’s bank improperly rightfully pays any the person
   77  identified by number and that person was not entitled or
   78  intended to receive payment from the originator, the amount paid
   79  may be recovered from that person to the extent allowed by the
   80  law governing mistake and restitution. as follows:
   81         (a) If the originator is obliged to pay its payment order
   82  due to gross negligence as stated in subsection (3), the
   83  originator has the right to recover. Otherwise, the bank that
   84  has borne the loss of the order has the right to recover.
   85         (b)If the originator is not a bank and is not obliged to
   86  pay its payment order, the originator’s bank has the right to
   87  recover.
   88         (5)(a)A bank accepting orders at a location in this state,
   89  or from a customer who resides in this state, must comply with
   90  this section.
   91         (b)The bank shall enter into an agreement with any
   92  counterparty bank requiring name identification as described in
   93  this section and, if any beneficiary bank does not engage in
   94  name identification and any loss occurs, the receiving bank
   95  shall indemnify the originator.
   96         Section 2. Section 670.208, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   97  read:
   98         670.208 Misdescription of intermediary bank or
   99  beneficiary’s bank.—
  100         (1)This subsection applies to a Any payment order
  101  identifying an intermediary bank or the beneficiary’s bank must
  102  use both only by an identifying number and a name.
  103         (a) The receiving bank must may rely on the number as the
  104  proper identification of the intermediary or beneficiary’s bank
  105  and need not determine whether the number identifies a bank and
  106  whether the bank identified by number matches the name provided.
  107         (b)The sender is obliged to compensate the receiving bank
  108  for any loss and expenses incurred by the receiving bank as a
  109  result of its reliance on the number in executing or attempting
  110  to execute the order.
  111         (2)This subsection applies to a payment order identifying
  112  an intermediary bank or the beneficiary’s bank both by name and
  113  an identifying number if the name and number identify different
  114  persons.
  115         (a)If the sender is a bank, the receiving bank may rely on
  116  the number as the proper identification of the intermediary or
  117  beneficiary’s bank if the receiving bank, when it executes the
  118  sender’s order, does not know that the name and number identify
  119  different persons. The receiving bank need not determine whether
  120  the name and number refer to the same person or whether the
  121  number refers to a bank. The sender is obliged to compensate the
  122  receiving bank for any loss and expenses incurred by the
  123  receiving bank as a result of its reliance on the number in
  124  executing or attempting to execute the order.
  125         (b)If the sender is not a bank and the receiving bank
  126  proves that the sender, before the payment order was accepted,
  127  had notice that the receiving bank might rely on the number as
  128  the proper identification of the intermediary or beneficiary’s
  129  bank even if it identifies a person different from the bank
  130  identified by name, the rights and obligations of the sender and
  131  the receiving bank are governed by paragraph (a), as though the
  132  sender were a bank. Proof of notice may be made by any
  133  admissible evidence. The receiving bank satisfies the burden of
  134  proof if it proves that the sender, before the payment order was
  135  accepted, signed a writing stating the information to which the
  136  notice relates.
  137         (c)Regardless of whether the sender is a bank, the
  138  receiving bank may rely on the name as the proper identification
  139  of the intermediary or beneficiary’s bank if the receiving bank,
  140  at the time it executes the sender’s order, does not know that
  141  the name and number identify different persons. The receiving
  142  bank must need not determine whether the name and number refer
  143  to the same intermediary or beneficiary bank person.
  144         (d) If the receiving bank determines knows that the name
  145  and number identify different banks persons, reliance on either
  146  the name or the number in executing the sender’s payment order
  147  is a breach of the obligation stated in s. 670.302(1)(a).
  148         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.