The Oklahoman
By: Monica Collison

Living in rural Oklahoma sometimes means having to go the extra mile for what most Americans take for granted. Today, nearly a quarter-million Oklahomans live in a so-called “bank desert” without easy access to a bank branch, making digital banking tools feel like a small miracle.

With a few taps on a laptop or phone, Oklahomans without easy access to a local bank branch can manage their finances with the financial institution of their choice. This abundance of technology has expanded consumer options and made the financial system more accessible. But it is not without risk.

In Washington, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or CFPB, is revisiting rules that will determine how our banking data is accessed and protected, what recourse consumers have if their data is mishandled, whether personal information can be packaged and sold, and whether companies most Americans have never heard of should have guaranteed access to our banking data at little or no cost.