Professor Richard Epstein discusses aspects Dodd-Frank and recent case law which affect the debit card industry.:

One of the great financial innovations of the 1990s was the now ubiquitous debit card. But its salad days may well be coming to an end. Why? Because of two events. First, the Federal Reserve in 2011 set rates for debit card transactions at $0.21 per transaction. Second, this past week, Judge Richard Leon of the Southern District of New York set aside two of the Fed’s regulations in NACS v. Federal Reserve.

In the case, the Fed was sued by a group of retailers who claimed that its rates were too high. Judge Leon ordered the Fed to order new rates, which will approach $0.03-0.06 per transaction. Many observers fear that Judge Leon’s decision will create “turmoil” in the debit card industry. The full story bears some telling.

And he tells it, at great length. The full text can be found here and is a fascinating read.

Full disclosure: for the sake of balance, I did attempt to find commentary on the other side of the issue, and could not find anyone stating opposition to Epstein's position. If any of our readers come across such commentary, please let us know.