Judith Rinearson is a partner at Bryan Cave LLP. Ms. Rinearson is a recognized authority in the areas of payment systems, electronic payments, stored value, travelers checks and check processing. She has more than 20 years experience in the financial services industry, particularly in the areas of non-bank money services and payment products.  Prior to her tenure with another New York law firm, Ms. Rinearson was group counsel for the American Express Global Travelers Cheque and Prepaid Service Group for more than 10 years. Under her legal guidance, American Express launched a range of stored value cards and products, including phone cards, gift cards, mall cards and expense management cards. Her experience also encompasses smart cards, "virtual" and RFID (radio frequency ID) products.  Fully experienced in both the “issuing” and “acquiring” side of  the payments business, Judith has drafted and  negotiated complex agreements with strategic co-branded partners, processors and Independent Sales Organizations (ISOs), ATM networks, major retailers and service providers, prepaid card issuers and program managers, international remittance companies, virtual and mobile payment providers, as well as the Terms and Conditions and disclosures that usually accompany such products. She has hands-on experience in all legal aspects of launching and managing a range of payment products, from prepaid cards of all kinds, to money orders and travelers checks, wire transfer services, ACH, electronic banking, and credit cards. Her practice includes advising on fraud avoidance and compliance with federal banking and anti-money laundering laws, as well as state money transmitter licensing laws, consumer protection laws and abandoned property laws. On the international level, Ms. Rinearson has supervised the launch of a range of payment and foreign currency products in Europe, Asia and Latin America, has met with international regulators and spoken on the issue of payment regulation. 

Ms. Rinearson is Regulatory Counsel for the Network Branded Prepaid Card Association (www.nbpca.org) and serves as Chair for the Association’s Government Relations Working Group. She also represents the NBPCA at the Bank Secrecy Act Advisory Group (BSAAG) in Washington and serves on the BSAAG Stored Value Subcommittee. She chaired for two years and is currently a contributor to the Payment Card Fraud Task Force for the American Bar Association’s Cyberspace Law Committee.

Previously, she has co-chaired the American Conference Institute’s National Forum on Payment Systems in New York City for three years.  In March 2008, she was honored with an Industry Achievement Award from the 2008 Prepaid Card Expo for her contributions as a pioneer in the prepaid card industry and her particular influence in the regulation of prepaid cards.  She has also given numerous presentations about payment regulations at meetings held by the Federal Reserve Banks of Philadelphia and Chicago, the Electronic Funds Transfer Association, Forum Europe, NACHA, and at annual meetings of the Money Transmitter Regulators Association, American Bar Association, and the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators.  In 2009, among other things,  she presented at the Prepaid International Forum outside London regarding US payment laws, gave a presentation to Federal Reserve Board regulators on prepaid card and mobile payments, and addressed the Prepaid Card Expo on anti-money laundering issues. 

Bar and Court Admissions

New York, 1982

United States Supreme Court

United States District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York

Education

New York University, J.D., 1981

Smith College, B.A., 1975

Publications

• “What’s on the Regulatory Horizon:  How to Best Protect Your Business Over the Next Year,” Prepaid Expo Panelist (March 2011)
• “Will Prepaid Thrive as ‘Year of the Tiger’ Gives Way to ‘Year of the Rabbit’?” Paybefore Legal (January 2011)
• “The Durbin Amendment:  Impact on Debit, Credit and Prepaid,”  BAI Webinar, December 2010
• “Lessons Learned from the CARD Act - Preparing for the Next Wave” 22nd Annual Card Forum & Expo Presentation (May 2010)
• “Developments in the Regulation of Prepaid Products Under State Money Transmitter Licensing Laws,” Business Lawyer (November 2009)
• “The Blind Men and the Elephant:  Why AML Regulation for Network Branded Cards Is So Difficult,” Paybefore.com (October 2009).
• “Keeping Pace with the Evolving State Regulatory and Enforcement Framework Regarding Prepaid Products,” ACI Prepaid Compliance Conference (June 2009)
• “US Regulations Springing a Surprise with Opinion No.8,” IQ Global Legal Report (December 2008).
• "Keeping Payments Laws Simple," Cards & Payments (October 2008)
• “Getting your Just Rewards - A Proposal for the Treatment of Prepaid Rewards Cards under State Abandoned Property and Consumer Protection Laws” (co-authored) Journal of Payment Systems Law (November/December 2007)
• “Viewpoint:  Sometimes Fraud is ‘Just’ Fraud” (co-authored) Paybefore.com (October 2007).
• “The Next New Thing: Mobile Payments” Journal of Payment Systems Law (July/August 2007).
• “Prepaid Cards: Coming of Age,” Standard & Poor’s Review of Banking & Financial Services (April 2006)
• “Electronic Payments The Perils of Third Party Distribution Arrangements,” Journal of Payment Systems Law (January 2006)
• “Electronic Payments Risks: Identity Thefts and the Legislative Response, plus New AML Exam Guidelines from the FFIEC,” Journal of Payment Systems Law (July 2005)
• “When the Going Gets Tough:  Under Increased Scrutiny, Banks are Dropping Their Money Services Business Customers and Regulators are Showing Concern,” Journal of Payment Systems Law (May 2005)
• “Regulation of Electronic Stored Value Payment Products Issued by Non-Banks Under State ‘Money Transmitter’ Licensing Law,” The Business Lawyer (November 2002)

Professional Affiliations

• American Bar Association – Business Law Section, Law of Cyberspace Subcommittee, Chair of the Payment Card Fraud Task Force (2009-2010), Chair of the Electronic Financial Services Subcommittee (2005-2008)