Signet Banking Corporation - Page 16

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               The cardholder agreement states that the annual membership             
          fee is nonrefundable and is paid in consideration of opening an             
          account and establishing a credit limit.  Petitioner performed              
          all of the acts that it was required to perform in order to be              
          entitled to the annual membership fee when it issued a credit               
          card to the customer and established a credit limit.  Petitioner            
          does not deny that it can cancel a member’s credit card at any              
          time, or that its rights and obligations are anything other than            
          as stated in the cardholder agreement.  Once petitioner opened an           
          account for a customer, petitioner had an unrestricted right to             
          that customer’s annual membership fee.  Petitioner had no duty              
          under the agreement to return any part of the fee even if                   
          petitioner or the cardholder closed the account immediately                 
          thereafter.                                                                 
               Petitioner contends that it received the annual membership             
          fee in payment for numerous services it provided to cardholders             
          throughout the year.  Petitioner’s contention might be well taken           
          if we disregard the cardholder agreement.  Under the agreement,             
          all that petitioner was required to do to be entitled to keep the           
          nonrefundable annual membership fee was to issue a card and                 
          establish a credit limit.  Respondent contends that those actions           
          are not within the scope of Rev. Proc. 71-21, 1971-2 C.B. 549,              
          because they are not services.  We need not decide respondent’s             







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Last modified: May 25, 2011