Interchange regulation of the kind being advocated by national merchant groups just isn't getting much traction on Capitol Hill. In the latest example, the National Retail Federation on Monday issued a statement saying it was disappointed that U.S. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd's much-awaited proposal for regulatory reform in …
Read More »BofA’s Move on Debit Card Overdrafts Could Herald Big Revenue Drain
Bank of America Corp.'s decision to stop offering overdraft protection on debit card transactions casts a spotlight on billions of dollars in fee revenue issuers earn from cardholders that could drain away if the bank's move becomes a trend. It could also be a harbinger of a move by consumers …
Read More »Capellas Leaves First Data As Hints of Recovery Appear on the Horizon
Michael D. Capellas, the former Compaq Computer Corp. and MCI chief executive who became chairman and chief executive at First Data Corp. in September 2007 when private-equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. took the huge processor private, is taking a new position at KKR. Replacing him as chairman and …
Read More »In Prepaid, Issuers And Networks Will See Fastest Revenue Growth
The continuing boom in general-purpose prepaid cards will lift all providers' boats, but some industry players will see revenues grow faster than others, according to new report from Aite Group LLC. The Boston-based research firm estimates that the total revenue pie of the so-called network-branded prepaid card industry will grow …
Read More »Phishers Are Zeroing in on Executives with Treasury Responsibility
Online criminals are broadcasting fewer scam e-mails but are zeroing in on more individuals who have substantial assets to protect or who have access to companies' or financial institutions' money-movement capability, according to the latest report on phishing from the Anti-Phishing Working Group. The report also indicates that merchants, banks, …
Read More »Big Merchants Pay $225,000 on Average for PCI Audits, Study Says
Getting an annual assessment to determine their compliance with the Payment Card Industry data-security standard costs big merchants an average of $225,000, but some pay $500,000 or more and others much less, according to a new research report by Ponemon Institute LLC. The report also says that only about 2% …
Read More »Regulators Seek Stronger Authority over Card Payments in Canada
Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty submitted his budget plan to Parliament late last week, and his proposals have merchants celebrating. That's because the government is floating the idea of regulating the payment card networks and, by implication, credit and debit card interchange. “There was good news for retailers in yesterday's …
Read More »Small Banks No Longer Immune to Payments Fraud, Stats Show
Attempted check fraud declined in 2008 for the first time in years, but overall check-fraud losses continued to climb while debit card fraud hit small banks especially hard, according to new statistics from the American Bankers Association on demand-deposit-account fraud. A preview of the latest ABA report was presented on …
Read More »Apple Store Deal Gives High Profile to VeriFone’s PAYware Mobile
In its effort to become a major supplier for merchants seeking to use their iPhones from Apple Inc. as payment card-accepting terminals, VeriFone Holdings Inc. already has announced a major marketing initiative for its PAYware Mobile system that includes a software application on Apple Inc.'s iTunes App Store and a …
Read More »Mitek-NetDeposit Deal Lends More Impetus to Mobile Capture
NetDeposit LLC, which this week announced it will support a mobile remote deposit capture product from San Diego-based Mitek Systems Inc., expects to have the service ready for financial-institution clients “some time” in the third quarter, says Chris Styga, executive vice president of the financial-service solutions group for the Salt …
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