Merchants and other proponents of the Dodd-Frank Act’s Durbin Amendment, which will regulate debit card interchange rates starting this summer, argue that the law will benefit consumers by allowing retailers to pass on lower transaction costs to their customers. While banks and other critics say this is unlikely, an alternative-payments …
Read More »With a One-Two Punch, Discover Endorses Alternative Payments, E-Bills
Discover Financial Services on Tuesday found itself at the center of two announcements signaling increasing interest in the payments industry in alternative payments and electronic billing. Ebillme, an online-payments service offered by Rye Brook, N.Y.-based ModaSolutions Corp., said online merchants that accept Discover cards will be able to accept eBillme …
Read More »In a Major Endorsement, Chase Adopts Mobile-Capture Technology from Mitek
JPMorgan Chase & Co. plans to use Mitek Systems Inc.’s Mobile Deposit software in future versions of its QuickDeposit service for mobile remote deposit capture across multiple smart-phone operating platforms. The announcement furthered Mitek’s lead as the top vendor in the fast-growing mobile-capture niche. Citing confidentiality agreements with customers, Mitek …
Read More »With Bill Pay Added to e-Bills, Doxo Aims to Boost Digital Billing
With more consumers paying bills electronically than are receiving them that way, a startup that lets consumers receive and store digital copies of their bills announced on Tuesday it is introducing a payment service aimed at closing that gap. Seattle-based doxo Inc., which in October launched a document-management service modeled …
Read More »Seeking to Streamline Transactions, NACHA Drops Opt-Outs for ARC And BOC
Starting in March, checks sent to lockboxes and some point of sale transactions can be processed by merchants and billers through the automated clearing house system without offering consumers a chance to opt out under new rules set by NACHA, the ACH’s regulatory organization. The new rules, which will be …
Read More »Consumers Still Skeptical of Mobile Payments, But Attitudes May Change Soon
Despite the hype about mobile payments, most consumers still aren't comfortable using smart phones to pay for things, according to new research from the Bank Administration Institute and Hitachi Consulting. That, however, could change, and change soon. The study also shows that debit remains consumers' preferred payment choice, though its …
Read More »Treasury Department Likely To Be in Driver’s Seat on Prepaid Card Program
The final rule from the U.S. Treasury Department mandating electronic payment of Social Security and other benefits, which was announced on Tuesday, is likely to greatly expand a federal prepaid card program that has already racked up impressive results. It could also lead Treasury to look for more features and …
Read More »Once ‘Bearish,’ a Payments Researcher Smiles on Mobile Payments
The rapid development of mobile payments in the U.S. is starting to make believers out of skeptics. Boston-based Aite Group LLC, a payments consulting and research firm, had been one of those skeptics, but it released a report on Wednesday predicting U.S. mobile payments of all kinds will total $214 …
Read More »Mitek Books a Profit As Mobile Demand Perks up
Mobile remote deposit capture software provider Mitek Systems Inc. posted a profitable last quarter of fiscal 2010 as more resellers and financial institutions adopted its products for taking pictures of checks from smart phones. And while San Diego-based Mitek has big expectations for its flagship Mobile Deposit application, the company …
Read More »With U.S. Bank, Newly Commercial SVP Picks up Momentum
Secure Vault Payments (SVP), a method of e-commerce payment that relies on the automated clearing house, secured its first big-bank supporter on Wednesday with the announcement that U.S. Bank has agreed to offer the service to both consumer and merchant clients. The fifth largest bank in the country, the Minneapolis-based …
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