DreamPlayVentures, a Cedar Knolls, N.J.-based startup, is talking to transaction processors and retailers about a product that would let merchants generate revenue by selling advertising space on credit and debit card receipts. The firm this week reported that its parent, DreamPlay LLC, has filed a patent application describing its underlying …

The automated clearing house's point-of-purchase electronic-check code in 2006's fourth quarter once again posted the highest growth rate among the various e-check codes, but the new back-office conversion (BOC) application that went live March 16 could soon claim POP's place in the sun. According to new data from Herndon, Va.-based …

The volume of unique phishing attacks hit an all-time high in January, while fraudsters broadened their reach to spoof Web sites they hadn't targeted before, such as social-networking and gambling sites, according to a group that tracks phishing fraud. The number of unique phishing e-mails hit 29,930, up 26% over …

A San Antonio, Texas company that specializes in clearing and settling consumer charges for telecommunications companies has signed up seven sellers of digital content for a new online payments gateway that lets users charge downloads to their phone bills. The seven undisclosed merchants are the first clients for what BSG …

Home-improvement giant Home Depot Inc. is pressing on with its plan to get an industrial-loan corporation charter despite a hostile political environment that has only grown stronger over the weekend. Opponents to ILC applications by commercial enterprises notched a victory Friday with Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s decision to abandon its efforts …

A letter from a major Hypercom Corp. investor to the point-of-sale terminal maker's chief executive advising a stock buyback and referring to a possible sale of the company, made public Friday in a Securities & Exchange Commission filing, has prompted rival VeriFone Holdings Inc. to target Hypercom customers with an …

Today, the much-heralded back-office conversion electronic-check code goes live on the automated clearing house network. But rather than throw a huge birthday party, executives of the ACH's governing body, NACHA?The Electronic Payments Association, and banks are marking BOC's debut in a decidedly low-key manner. BOC will allow retailers and other …

A survey released this week by a major trade association for corporate treasury officials raises an alarm about fraud in check and electronic payments and points to vulnerabilities in newer transaction channels, such as the Internet. “Payments fraud last year was pervasive and increasing,” says a report from the Association …

Image exchange and image clearing kicked into a higher gear in January, with more than half a billion items flowing through image-exchange networks for the first time. Just over two years since the Check Clearing Act for the 21st Century (Check 21) became effective, the volume of checks converted to …

A well-financed startup company staffed by experienced card and marketing executives plans to launch in April an all-in-one, PIN-protected credit-debit-prepaid card with an acceptance cost that may resonate favorably these days with interchange-weary merchants: 0.50% of the sale. “One of our core tenets is to eliminate interchange altogether,” said Jason …