News

May, 2005

• 31 May

  Key Makes Agent-Bank Deal with Genpass, While TNB Links to Star

  Key Corp. said today it has made an agreement with Genpass Inc. that will allow agent banks in Key's ATM network to add access to 12,000 ATMs in GenPass's MoneyPass network, a surcharge-free system. The Cleveland-based banking company, which operates 2,200 ATMs, said current and future agent banks in its …
• 31 May

  Ring-Tone Market Jumped 6% Among Mobile Users in April

  Some 24.6 million U.S. wireless-phone subscribers?or 13.6% of the base of mobile users?downloaded ring tones in April, according to the latest monthly survey of mobile-phone usage by market-researcher M:Metrics Inc. That's up 6% from the Seattle firm's March survey. At the same time, the survey shows nearly 6 million users, …
• 26 May

  Number-One E-Banker BofA Adopts Two-Factor Authentication

  The cause of strong authentication for Web-based transactions took a major step forward today with the announcement from banking giant Bank of America Corp. that it is implementing a two-factor authentication system for its online banking service. With 13.2 million users, including 6.4 million bill payers, BofA's service is the …
• 25 May

  Former Viewpointe Chief Lettko Eyes Big Potential at ProxyMed

  Though he's only been on the job for a few weeks as chief executive of ProxyMed Inc., a transaction-processing, business-process outsourcing, and cost-containment company, John Lettko sees clear parallels between the industry he left–financial services–and the one he's entering?health care. Lettko, the former chief executive of Viewpointe Archive Services, a …
• 25 May

  Electronic Transaction Inroads Force Another Fed Check Closure

  Facing an unrelenting decline in paper check volume, The Federal Reserve said today it will shutter yet another check-processing operation in late 2006. Check processing will cease at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York's East Rutherford operations center and its check volume will shift to the Federal Reserve Bank …
• 24 May

  Certegy Sells 14,000-Merchant Portfolio to Nova Information Systems

  Nova Information Systems says it is acquiring Certegy Inc.'s the merchant portfolio. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The conversion of the Certegy portfolio, which consists of 14,000 merchants generating about $3 billion in annual credit and debit card volume, to Nova's platform is expected to be completed by …
• 24 May

  Chase Says Its New Blink Card Will March Through Atlanta First

  Atlanta is where J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. will begin its rollout of contactless cards, starting June 1, the bank announced today. Chase, which said last week it would begin issuing the chip-equipped cards this summer in a region-by-region rollout (Digital Transactions News, May 19), says almost 1 million of …
• 20 May

  C-Stores Adopting RFID Have Priorities Besides Interchange Costs

  Contactless payment technology picked up momentum with yesterday's news that 7-Eleven Inc. is adopting the technology chainwide and that Sheetz Inc. has completed installations at all 309 of its stores. And, contrary to some observers' argument that contactless payment will be held back by the absence of special breaks on …
• 19 May

  Chase’s Big Bet on Contactless May Hinge on Merchant Adoption

  Technology that allows consumers to pay at the point of sale by waving or tapping a card or other token took a major step forward today with J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.’s announcement that it will issue millions of cards equipped with the technology starting this summer. Following on the …
• 19 May

  Microsoft Readies New Software to Handle ID, Payments on the Web

  Microsoft Corp. is working on new authentication software that will identify consumers to merchant sites on the Internet and initiate payment processing. The software, which the Redmond, Wash.-based software giant is calling InfoCard for now, will be released to developers for feedback by the end of the month, according to …