State-by-State Durbin Impact Statistics Released by Heartland

PRINCETON, N.J. -- Merchants across the United States are seeing some savings from the recently enacted cap on debit card transaction fees, with the totals ranging from $333.94 to $127.87, according to payment processor Heartland Payment Systems.

Data collected between Oct. 1 and Oct. 16 by Heartland showed its portfolio of 250,000 merchants realized an average of $260.24 in savings for every $100,000 of Visa and MasterCard signature debit and credit card volume processed. Washington, D.C., merchants came in at the high end, while merchants in Montana realized the least savings.

The state-to-state savings swing is a result of the number of large vs. small banks in the area, as well as the mix of credit and debit card volume processed, the Princeton, N.J.-based company explained. These figures represent the averages of actual credit vs. debit and regulated vs. non-regulated debit transactions for Heartland's merchants. They do not include the impact of PIN debit volume.

"Merchants are wondering how the percentage of regulated vs. non-regulated transactions in their states would impact their savings, and this data provides insight into exactly that," said Bob Baldwin, Heartland's president. "By providing business owners a frame of reference for how much money, on average, their peers across their state are saving from Durbin, they have an idea of what their own savings may be. Familiarizing themselves with this information is a preliminary step in ensuring they receive the full benefit of the reform."

Other states that topped the $300 mark were: Arizona ($326.13), Georgia ($304.07), Nevada ($332.33), New Jersey ($308.58), Ohio ($314.27), Maryland ($320.37) and Texas ($310.43). States that landed in the $100 range were: Alaska ($131.68), Hawaii ($197.47), North Dakota ($134.88), Iowa ($153.94), Kansas ($170.65), Maine ($154.09), Mississippi ($195.71), South Dakota ($186.64), Utah ($198.20), Vermont ($151.16), Wisconsin ($158.54) and Wyoming ($156.82).

The merchants in the remaining states saw average savings in the $200 range, according to Heartland.