The First Time I Learned About Regulation E

The first time Regulation E became real to me

The first time I learned about Regulation E, I was not thinking about investigation windows, provisional credit, audit trails, or examiner expectations. I was just a customer who had paid for something I could no longer use.

My family had recently moved to Northwest Arkansas. We joined a local gym and paid for a full year of membership on our credit card. The next week, the gym went out of business.

When we called the gym, they told us there was nothing they could do. They said we would need to work through the bankruptcy court. From their perspective, the business was closed and the issue had moved somewhere else.

At the time, I was working for a bank. A co-worker suggested that I contact my card issuer and ask whether the bank could help resolve it.

From my perspective as the customer, the process felt simple. I called the bank, explained what happened, and the issue was handled. We had our money back, and the problem was gone.

The customer experience hides the operational work

That experience stayed with me because it showed the customer-facing side of Reg E. When the process works well, it feels almost effortless to the person who filed the dispute.

Later, I saw the other side.

Inside the bank, the actual implementation was much more complicated. There were deadlines to calculate, letters to send, provisional credit decisions to document, notes to maintain, and evidence to preserve in case an examiner asked for the file later.

At the time, teams were using spreadsheets to manage a process that had too many moving parts for spreadsheets. Multiple people needed to know what was due, what had already been sent, what still needed review, and whether the case file would make sense months later.

The people doing the work cared about getting it right. The tools just made that harder than it needed to be.

From spreadsheets to an Access database

I became part of the solution by helping build the first version of a system in Microsoft Access.

It was not fancy, but it changed the workflow. Instead of scattered notes, manual tracking, and separate spreadsheets, the team had a cleaner way to follow each case. Dates were easier to track. Required steps were easier to see. The record was easier to audit.

That mattered.

Reg E is not just about getting money back to the customer. It is about proving the bank followed the process: the right deadline, the right notice, the right decision, and the right evidence in the file.

When those pieces live in separate places, the process depends on memory and manual follow-up. When they live in one system, the team can focus on the work instead of reconstructing the record.

Why I am building KohltSoft

That early Access database showed me what a purpose-built Reg E workflow could do for a bank. It made the process feel more organized, more visible, and easier to trust.

That is what I want KohltSoft to do for your bank.

KohltSoft is built for banks that have outgrown spreadsheets, shared folders, and improvised tracking systems. It helps teams manage investigation deadlines, required letters, provisional credit, case notes, and audit evidence in one place.

The goal is simple: make the internal process as clear and reliable as the customer experience is supposed to feel.

If your bank is still managing Reg E through spreadsheets or an adapted system, I would love to talk. Contact us so we can work with you to implement a cleaner, more auditable workflow.

Thank you,

Shawn