In situations where a funds recipient does not have a bank account while a payer is obligated to pay by electronic funds transfer, alternative payment arrangements need to be made. For example, a US federal law of 1996 required the federal government to make electronic payments, such as direct deposit, available by 1999. As a part of its implementation, the U.S. Treasury Department paired with Comerica Bank and MasterCard in 2008 to offer the Direct Express Debit MasterCard prepaid debit card.