Issuing/Originating

For years, retailers have sought ways to allow their customers to pay electronically while bypassing bank networks and fees. Now some fast-food franchisees are turning to proprietary smart cards–with or without interest from their corporate parents. Los Angeles-based TranStar Systems Inc. has either installed or has orders for systems in …

Does the motion filed last week by MasterCard in federal court against Visa signal a new era of real competition between the two card companies? The answer seems to be yes, but the question is whether it’s healthy competition. The motion seeks to stop Visa from enacting a “settlement fee” …

Expect some unique credit card offerings in the next six to nine months now that a three-judge panel of the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld an October 2001 U.S. District Court ruling allowing banks to issue American Express and Discover cards. American Express has already issued a …