Digital Transactions Authoritative, insightful and timely information for payments professionals
Calling it a “sophisticated criminal effort,” Barnes & Noble Inc. on Wednesday reported tampering occurred on PIN pads at 63 of its stores in nine states. The company on Sept. 14 disconnected every PIN pad in all of its nearly 700 stores but indicated that in addition to personal identification …
Read More »USAT Strikes a Deal With Visa, But No Word About a Fix for Small-Ticket Debit Interchange
In what amounts to a reminder about an unanticipated consequence of the Durbin Amendment debit card regulations, USA Technologies Inc. (USAT) reported Wednesday that it had extended its agreement with Visa Inc. that provides the vending-machine payment network operator with favorable pricing on small debit transactions. The news wasn’t a …
Read More »Debit Card Rewards Hang Tough After One Year of Durbin Interchange Caps
The obituaries for debit card rewards may be premature. Of the 100 largest issuers of debit cards ranked by debit purchase volume, 37 now offer a rewards program, down from 52 three years ago. But 19 issuers with $10 billion or more in assets still offer a program, despite a …
Read More »Retailers Prepare To Argue for a Rewrite of Debit Rules While Durbin Spars With Bankers
You’d almost think it was 2010 all over again, given the current fights about the Durbin Amendment, the section of that year’s Dodd-Frank Act that regulates debit card interchange and transaction routing. Oral arguments are set for Oct. 3 in a retailer lawsuit that seeks to have a court order …
Read More »Looking to Compensate for Durbin Losses, Banks Hike ATM, NSF, Account Fees
In what appears to be a continuing case of revenue recovery in one area when another one gets tight, financial institutions are continuing to raise ATM fees, some to record levels, according to Bankrate Inc.’s latest annual survey of bank fees. The North Palm Beach, Fla.-based provider of financial information …
Read More »Durbin Effects Manageable So Far for Small Banks—But Worse Is Expected
Now that the Durbin Amendment’s debit card interchange caps have been in effect for nearly a year, enough time has passed for community banks and credit unions to start to determine the impact, if any, the price ceilings have had on their income. Based on conversations Digital Transactions News has …
Read More »Acculynk Enters Acquiring Market, Gains Small-Merchant Footprint with PayLeap Deal
Online PIN debit provider Acculynk Inc. on Wednesday entered the acquiring business with its acquisition of PayLeap, a 4-year-old gateway provider and processor based in Warsaw, Ind. Terms of the deal, which has already closed, were not released. Up to now, Acculynk has worked chiefly with big acquirers to sign …
Read More »After Years of Pushing Signature Debit, Big Banks Are Promoting PIN, Study Shows
The nation’s biggest debit card issuers have reversed polarity and are now promoting PIN-debit cards over signature debit and small-value transactions over bigger tickets, if the results of a debit study released this week are any indication. “Certainly, there’s a fundamental shift under way” among large banks to focus on …
Read More »Acculynk Lands American Airlines, Cites Momentum for Online PIN Debit
Acculynk Inc., which on Wednesday announced it has signed up American Airlines Inc., says the recruitment of its largest merchant yet indicates stronger interest among online retailers in accepting PIN debit transactions. Indeed, Ashish Bahl, chairman and chief executive of the Atlanta-based company, tells Digital Transactions News it expects to …
Read More »Square Enters Big-Time Acquiring with Its Cube-Less Starbucks Deal
The announcement late on Tuesday that Square Inc. struck a deal with coffee giant Starbucks Corp. for the first time puts Square, a specialist in bringing mobile-payment acceptance to small businesses and consumers, into the role of a more traditional card processor for a large national merchant. And at least …
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