News

August, 2006

• 7 August

  Real Tones Dominate Ring Tone Sales, While Ringback Tone Sales Rise

  Some 24.6 million U.S. consumers bought a ring tone in the second quarter of 2006, and they showed a clear preference for so-called real tones, or master tones, over polyphonic and mono ring tones, according to research released today. Ring tones for mobile phones, which are snippets of popular songs, …
• 6 August

  Monthly IRDs Surpass 100 Million, But Electronic Settlement Gains Share

  New consolidated industry data show the number of substitute checks, or image replacement documents (IRDs), flowing through image-exchange networks surpassed 100 million for the first time in June, but the share of paper relative to all image-exchange volume is declining. According to the Electronic Check Clearing House Organization (ECCHO), the …
• 3 August

  Shut out of New Markets, PIN Debit Faces Big Growth Challenges

  While PIN debit transactions at the point of sale are growing at a torrid pace, the payment application faces major hurdles when it comes to future growth, according to a research report released this week. PIN debit has registered annual growth rates between 35% and 38% since 2003, outpacing the …
• 2 August

  MasterCard, Post IPO, Swings to a Loss on Extraordinary Items

  MasterCard Inc., reporting quarterly results for the first time since its initial public offering in May, said it lost $310.5 million in the three-month period ended June 30, compared to a gain of $120.2 million in the second quarter of 2005. One-time expenses, including a $400.3 million cost for 13.5 …
• 2 August

  AmEx Cuts Costs But Boosts Marketing with Web Efforts

  American Express Co. cardholders paid their AmEx bills nearly 100 million times in 2005 using the Internet, Judson C. Linville, president of the New York City-based firm's U.S. Consumer Card Services Group, told analysts Wednesday. “The Web has fundamentally transformed our business in the last few years,” Linville said at …
• 1 August

  POS Debit Card Usage Continues To Grow, Star Survey Says

  Debit cards continue to find favor with consumers for point-of-sale purchases, results of the latest annual payments survey by First Data Corp.'s Star electronic funds transfer network shows. And recent security breaches involving PIN-based debit cards don't yet seem to have dented PIN debit's popularity. According to Star's 2005/2006 Consumer …

July, 2006

• 31 July

  Prepaid Card Roundup: New Virgin Mobile Card, U. S. Bank Hits Milestone

  Wireless provider Virgin Mobile USA LLC on Monday introduced a reloadable prepaid card that will allow its 4 million mostly young subscribers to pay for goods and services at stores and on the Web, pay bills, and send cash to one another. The card, a Visa-branded product Virgin calls the …
• 28 July

  Key MasterCard Deadline Nears for Wireless and IP Terminal Security

  A major deadline set by MasterCard Worldwide to enhance the security of transactions originating at wireless and Internet Protocol point-of-sale payment terminals is approaching, but some in the industry say many firms that could be affected aren't paying attention. On Sept. 1, Purchase, N.Y.-based MasterCard will require that newly-installed wireless …
• 27 July

  Now Hot, Remote Capture Will Get Hotter with Move ‘Down Market’

  Merchants and other businesses that accept checks are adopting electronic truncation?also known as remote deposit capture?so quickly that one expert observer expects the number of installed systems to more than double next year. Indeed, says Bob Meara, a senior analyst at Boston-based researcher Celent LLC, demand for remote capture is …
• 27 July

  Adding Princeton eCom Boosts Expedited Payment Plans at ORC

  Relying in part on its recently completed acquisition of Princeton eCom Corp., Online Resources Corp., Chantilly, Va., plans to roll out a real-time expedited payments service for its banking-client base by the first quarter of next year, Matthew P. Lawlor, chief executive of the company, tells Digital Transactions News. The …