Law and Regulation

In a move that indicates federal regulators are getting more serious about policing independent sales organizations and other merchant processors, the Federal Trade Commission on Friday announced it is suing Newtek Merchant Solutions and its former president, Derek Depuydt. The FTC added both Newtek and Depuydt as defendants in an …

A lawsuit brought earlier this month by the Federal Trade Commission against a telemarketer and its merchant processor should serve as a warning to independent sales organizations and other acquirers that they could be held responsible for their clients’ actions, according to a prominent payments attorney. “The FTC’s suit should …

  ATM owners and operators are thrilled about the new opportunities deposit automation and mobile devices are creating for their industry. They’re not so thrilled about the major card networks, according to survey findings released Tuesday by the ATM Industry Association, an international trade group of ATM independent sales organizations, …

Going on the offense for the second time in less than a month, Visa Inc. on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. seeking to prevent the world’s largest retailer from suing Visa over interchange. Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart is mulling a legal challenge to the bank card networks on …

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau appears to be gearing up to put more controls on bank overdraft fees. The impact of any new overdraft rules on debit cards is unknown but there’s a chance they could prove positive for transaction volume, according to one industry researcher. The CFPB, a creation …

Working closely with merchants, card issuers, and merchant acquirers to deliver more value through its brand at the point of sale, as opposed to enhancing revenues through price increases, is the road map Visa Inc. laid out Thursday at its Investor Day conference. “We don’t feel we have to raise …

In an action that appears to signal stepped-up scrutiny of non-bank prepaid card distributors by federal banking regulators, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Friday announced it is fining Achieve Financial Services LLP $110,000 and forcing it to pay at least $1.1 million in restitution to consumers. The FDIC also …

A formerly obscure lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission against Wyndham Worldwide Corp. and three subsidiaries in the wake of three data breaches at the hotel chain has become the flashpoint of a growing debate about the lack of a federal law governing data security on the Internet and …

  The shutdown of digital-currency network Liberty Reserve by federal prosecutors on money-laundering charges is part of the increased focus on the virtual-currency market by regulators and law enforcement agencies, but doesn’t necessarily mean all such currencies face the same fate. While Liberty Reserve shared some common features with Bitcoin …

Prepaid card program manager NetSpend Holdings Inc. on Wednesday said it will postpone until June 18 the shareholder meeting it planned for Friday to approve its $1.4 billion sale to processor Total System Services Inc. (TSYS). The delay is an attempt in the wake of two shareholder lawsuits to create …