News

October, 2006

• 5 October

  For Now, NFC Payment Hindered by Skeptical Carriers, Expert Says

  Consumers who participated in a recently ended test in Atlanta of contactless payment on mobile phones may have warmed to the technology (Digital Transactions News, Sept. 8), but banks, transaction processors, independent sales organizations, and other players looking to cash in could now face a formidable hurdle: the wireless phone …
• 4 October

  MasterCard Unveils Network-Level, Real-Time PIN-Fraud Scoring

  With PIN debit fraud losses rising along with consumer usage of PIN debit cards, MasterCard Worldwide announced on Wednesday a system it says will score PIN transactions in real time to assess their risk of fraud. Purchase, N.Y.-based MasterCard says when the service goes live in the first quarter of …
• 3 October

  Impact of Online-Gaming Law Seen As Mixed for Processors, Banks

  Three days after Congress passed a law restricting payments for Internet wagers, what seems clear is that the implications for banks and transaction processors are mixed. Observers say the new law will likely prevent most U.S. banks or third-party companies that still process online gambling payments from continuing to do …
• 2 October

  Eye on ATMs: Pass Code Hacker Fallout, Chase Network Expansion

  A security expert says publicity about a hacker who was able to trick a cash dispenser into giving out four times as much cash as it debited may do some good in preventing this type of fraud. “I think awareness will go up because of this, and that's half the …

September, 2006

• 29 September

  It’s One Step Ahead, One Back for Visa at Dollar General, University

  It may be as rare as an ivory-billed woodpecker, but the merchant that accepts Visa without also accepting MasterCard or vice versa is not extinct in the United States. Within the past week, discount retailer Dollar General Corp. announced it would accept Visa credit and check (signature-debit) cards but not …
• 28 September

  New Registry of Security Marks Aims at Thwarting Check-Image Fraud

  Responding in part to unique security issues created by electronic image exchange in the U.S., the nation's largest settler of clearinghouse check volume this week introduced a registry for what it calls image-survivable security features to protect check images from fraud. The registry, operated by the Dallas-based National Clearing House …
• 27 September

  New Boss of Comdata Acquiring Unit Aims to Move into Top 10

  Rod Katzfey, the new boss of Comdata Processing Systems, has worked for some of the nation's biggest merchant acquirers?U.S. Bancorp, First Data Corp., and, most recently, ABN AMRO Merchant Services, where he was general manager. He expects that some day the company he joined this month as senior vice president …
• 27 September

  New Super Switch Lets Visa Handle Transaction Growth, Diversity

  Visa USA, which on Wednesday announced it has completed a massive, five-year project to overhaul its authorization platform, says the new system will allow the network to handle expected jumps in both the volume and diversity of electronic transactions. The overhaul, which its chief architect, John Partridge, calls “the single …
• 26 September

  Bitpass’s New Platform Supports Downloads, Gives Sellers More Data

  Bitpass Inc. is expected to announce next week a new processing platform that will, among other things, allow consumers to set up electronic wallets they can use to both pay for and store digital content like songs, videos, and games. The new platform, called the iMedia Commerce Engine, will support …
• 25 September

  Tab for E-Commerce Glitches Could Be $60 Billion by 2010

  Problems with transactions could cost e-commerce merchants and other Internet businesses some $60 billion in sales through 2010, according to a consumer survey released Monday. Altogether, 88% of consumers reported problems with transactions at shopping, banking, travel, and insurance sites. About one-third of consumers who run into checkout or payment …