Acquiring

In the 18 months since NACHA introduced an electronic payment method that lets merchants convert bundles of checks in a central location, it's become clear that the method?known as back-office conversion (BOC)?isn't likely to have a big impact on retailers' paper-check volumes. That's according to Bob Meara, a senior analyst …

A big change may be in the offing for Canada's point-of-sale debit market that could bring American-style percentage-based interchange to a system whose pricing currently is based on flat fees. The change could possibly even bring Visa and MasterCard debit cards to the country for the first time. The result, …

Widespread problems reported by small businesses with their card-processing vendors led a startup comparison-shopping Web site for business-to-business financial services to focus on transaction processing, the co-founder says. Chicago-based Transparent Financial Services LLC, which operates as a kind of Orbitz for entrepreneurs looking for financial services, plans to add health …

This is the fifth installment of a six-part series exploring the growing economic tensions and structural conflicts between acquirers and issuers in the bank card business. Once upon a time, the idea of non-bank access to the Visa Inc. and MasterCard Worldwide networks for payment innovations was about as far-fetched …

This is the third installment of a six-part series exploring the growing economic tensions and structural conflicts between acquirers and issuers in the bankcard business. A handful of big issuers dominate the bank card business and command the lion's share of merchant-acceptance fees. Just about everyone else in the payments …

The softening economy so far hasn't taken a big bite out of payment processors' earnings, but it is having some effects. Meanwhile, processors continue to streamline their operations, integrate acquisitions, and roll out new services. ? Reflecting the recent weakness in consumer spending, big merchant acquirer Heartland Payment Systems Inc. …

This is the second installment of a six-part series exploring the growing economic tensions and structural conflicts between acquirers and issuers in the bank card business. All merchants are not created equal in payments. One of the industry's biggest but worst-kept secrets is that in 2003, following the settlement of …

A revenue-generating proposal that would force merchant acquirers to report their clients' card-based sales to the Internal Revenue Service was signed into law Wednesday by President Bush. The provision, which critics say will impose a costly burden on the entire acquiring business at a time when the industry is under …

U.S. credit card transaction and dollar-volume growth once again played second fiddle to debit, according to the latest financial reports from MasterCard Inc. and Visa Inc. And U.S. debit and still-strong international growth kept the networks' operating earnings in the black during their quarters ended June 30, although a one-time …

This article begins a six-part series by industry analyst Steve Mott that examines the growing economic tensions and structural conflicts that are drawing the acquiring side of the card processing business into a sustained battle with card issuers. Five Digital Transactions News installments assess the divergent impacts of this conflict …