HSBC Bank USA N.A. has become the third U.S. bank to add contactless payment technology to its debit cards. The bank said today it has begun issuing MasterCard-branded debit cards equipped with MasterCard's PayPass system, and plans to issue 1 million of the cards by the end of the year. …

The new chief executive of Viewpointe Archive Services LLC is a payments-industry veteran who says he sees big potential in check-image exchange and hints there may be services the massive image archive can render beyond electronic check processing. “I joined Viewpointe because of the great opportunities,” says former banker and …

With banks issuing or planning to issue more and more prepaid debit cards to handle remittances overseas, more banks are expected to enter the market, putting pressure on the established money-transfer businesses like Western Union Holdings Inc., a new research report concludes. According to the report, entitled “Money Transfer Cards …

PayPal Inc.'s decision to enter the broad micropayments market could help the Internet payments processor boost transaction volumes and attract new accountholders, but by how much is currently a guessing game, experts say. “I'm not educated enough yet to say whether it's going to be material,” says Gwenn Bezard, research …

Recent reports concerning the dual online threats of phishing and malware indicate mixed news: the phishing threat is down as measured by number of incidents, but fraudsters' use of malicious code to steal passwords and re-direct unsuspecting Web users is increasing steadily. Postini Inc., a Redwood City, Calif.-based producer of …

Second-quarter financial results from Houston-based Cardtronics Inc. show the country's largest non-bank ATM operator has more than doubled the number of ATMs it runs, to 26,241, in the year from June 30, 2004, primarily owing to its $106-million acquisition in June last year of E*Trade Financial Services' portfolio of 15,000 …

MasterCard International said today it will appeal a decision from the U.K.'s Office of Fair Trading that concluded the bank card network's method of setting interchange was anti-competitive. Meanwhile, a trade group representing British merchants said it was disappointed in the OFT ruling and may also appeal. The U.K. regulator …

With online merchants in the U.S. increasingly seeking business overseas, TransFirst Inc. is adopting automated currency-conversion technology from E4X Inc. Dallas-based TransFirst, which processes card transactions for 160,000 merchants?including an increasing number of card-not-present merchants?will offer automated currency conversion to its clients as part of its processing service. E4X says …

Universal Air Travel Plan, which processes corporate travel payments for some 200 accepting airlines around the world, is opening its network to third-party Internet transaction processors as part of a strategy that could significantly boost network volume and bring consumer transactions through its settlement system for the first time. Ralph …

Special Report MasterCard Inc.'s proposed initial public stock offering would put 49% of the payment company's shares and more than 80% of the voting power in the hands of the public, potentially increasing the influence of aggrieved retailers who believe they currently get a raw deal in card pricing. MasterCard …