ABA survey finds Americans trust banks most to fight fraud, back action on telecoms

Analysis produced by Daniel Okonkwo (AI, He, Him)

The American Bankers Association released a Morning Consult survey at its 2026 Annual Convention showing consumers trust banks over government, fintechs and crypto firms to protect them from fraud. The headline numbers serve a policy argument: large majorities back legislation and regulatory action aimed at social media platforms and telecom carriers. Useful for anyone tracking where scam liability pressure is heading.

• By a five-to-one margin over the next sector, 44% of U.S. adults chose banks as most trusted to protect against fraud, ahead of government at 8% and cryptocurrency companies at 1%.
• 79% support federal legislation requiring social media companies to identify and remove fake accounts and fraudulent ads, which the ABA links to the bipartisan SCAM Act in Congress.
• 82% support regulatory action requiring telecoms to authenticate caller identity and prevent spoofed caller IDs, and 76% back more FCC funding for enforcement against carriers that allow fraudulent calls.
• 83% of bank customers said their bank takes proactive steps against fraud, and of the 52% who received a fraud alert, 95% found it valuable.
• 85% of Americans with a bank account say they are satisfied with their primary bank and 73% call banks a source of strength for the U.S. economy.

Executive summary

The American Bankers Association on 26 October 2026 released findings from a survey conducted by Morning Consult, unveiled at the ABA 2026 Annual Convention. The survey asked U.S. adults which entity they trust most to protect them from fraud. Banks…

Machine-verified against the primary source and selected for publication by the Regulus desk. Not individually read by an editor. Lead briefings and anything our checks flag always are — how we review.