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Though they are not named as defendants in the antitrust case filed today by Kroger Co. and six other retail chains against Visa International and Visa U.S.A., MasterCard International and individual member banks of both bank card networks could find themselves named in separate actions later, according to one of …
Read More »U.S. Wireless Subscribers Exceed Landline Hookups for the First Time
In a development with implications for mobile commerce in the U.S., the number of wireless subscribers has for the first time exceeded the number of landline connections in this country. According to a report compiled by the Federal Communications Commission, there were 181.1 mobile subscriptions in place on Dec. 31, …
Read More »Coghlan’s Olive Branch Not Likely to Bring Retailer-Friendly Change
Despite an apparent willingness by the new chief executive of Visa U.S.A. to meet with merchant representatives on such thorny issues as interchange pricing, some observers say the bank card association's basic position toward the retailer community is unlikely to change. John Philip Coghlan, who took over yesterday as president …
Read More »Former Schwab Exec Succeeds Long-Time Visa Chief Pascarella
Visa U.S.A. today named John Philip Coghlan, 54, as its new president and chief executive officer, effective immediately. The former Charles Schwab & Co. Inc. executive succeeds long-time Visa chief Carl F. Pascarella, who announced last summer his intention to step down by September (Digital Transactions News, July 16, 2004). …
Read More »How DataTreasury Could Become a Toll Collector in Check Imaging
Little noticed until now, a small, privately held technology company on Long Island this week scored a major victory in a patent-infringement case that is sending shock waves throughout the electronic payments business, observers say. One direct result, they say, could be sharply higher costs for banks and third-party processors …
Read More »Small Company Sues Big Banks, Wins Big in Check 21 Technology Cases
In a move that could have widespread implications for the fledgling business of check-image exchange, a small, privately held company holding patents on key elements of check imaging and processing filed patent-infringement suits today against four major banks. The federal suit, filed by Melville, N.Y.-based DataTreasury Corp. against Bank of …
Read More »41st Parameter Gets Set to Roll out More Potent Anti-Phishing Software
Mindful of the rapid spread of online frauds depending on phishing, The 41st Parameter Inc. plans next month to roll out a new version of its machine-authentication technology. The Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company is already piloting the new version of its software, called TimeDiff Linking, and last week filed for an …
Read More »AmEx And MasterCard Could Be Losers in BofA-MBNA Deal
Bank of America Corp.'s planned acquisition of MBNA Corp. and its 40 million active credit card accounts has payment industry executives pondering the fate of American Express Co.'s ambitious efforts to jointly issue credit cards with banks. The $35 billion deal, announced this morning and expected to close in the …
Read More »A Preliminary USPTO Decision Supports ReD in Patent Dispute
Retail Decisions PLC says the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued what it calls a “preliminary decision” that supports ReD's position in a patent dispute between the company and Mountain View, Calif.-based CyberSource Corp. U.K.-based ReD includes its U.S. unit, Retail Decisions U.S.A., Hazlet, N.J. The USPTO statement, which …
Read More »Small Merchants File Class-Action Antitrust Case Against Interchange
Declaring the need for litigation to bring credit card interchange rates under control, five small merchants today filed a class-action antitrust suit against Visa, MasterCard, and at least seven major banks. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, alleges the banks and their card …
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