News

September, 2004

• 17 September

  Canada’s First Debit Fraud Estimate Pegs Losses at $44 Million

  Debit card fraud in Canada last year amounted to $44 million ($34 million U.S.), which criminals drained from some 27,000 accounts, according to data recently compiled by Interac, the national electronic funds transfer network. The study represents the first attempt in Canada to measure fraud losses sustained by holders of …
• 17 September

  MasterCard Pushes SecureCode to Beat the Holiday Rush

  MasterCard International expects to bring thousands of new Internet merchants into its SecureCode transaction security program by the middle of next month. The new merchant signings will result from a major push the card network is making for SecureCode among large, well-know online retailers as well as among Web hosting …
• 16 September

  BofA Hands FDC a Major Win, But Leaves Some Key Points Vague

  First Data Corp.'s letter of intent with Bank of America Corp., which includes processing services from FDC for BofA ATMs as well as for debit card transactions secured by personal identification numbers, amounts to a big win for the Denver-based processor after a string of stinging losses, observers say. “Obviously, …
• 15 September

  iPayment Buys Transaction Solutions, Adds 4,000 Merchants

  Nashville-based iPayment Inc., a publicly held independent sales organization that has executed a string of acquisitions over the past two years in the rapidly consolidating acquiring market, today announced its acquisition of Transaction Solutions LLC, a Pittsburgh-based ISO serving 4,000 small merchants with $500 million in annual card volume. No …
• 15 September

  Why the U.S. Is a Low Priority for Canada’s Dexit

  Dexit Inc., a Toronto-based processor of stored-value transactions using radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology, is expanding nationally in Canada and will begin processing transactions in other parts of the world next year?but not in the U.S. any time soon. Dexit, which allows consumers to use chip-embedded keychain “tags” to tap accounts …
• 13 September

  Magex Acquires OPT, Plans Major Stored-Value Expansion in the U.S.

  Magex Ltd., a London-based e-commerce and person-to-person transaction processor, has acquired Open Payment Technologies Inc., a provider of stored-value card systems to restaurants, supermarkets, and other merchants. A price was not disclosed. Phoenix-based OPT will become a division of Magex, and Dave Ingwersen, OPT's president, is assuming the title of …
• 10 September

  An Interchange Tussle with a Twist: Retailers Against Zero Pricing

  The Reserve Bank of Australia is likely to mandate zero interchange for debit card transactions at the point of sale linked to personal identification numbers in that country, according to a report in The Age, an Australian news service. This action if taken would follow the Australian central bank's decision …
• 9 September

  Maestro Links to SecureCode in Europe, Grows in North America

  MasterCard International reports that 7 million of its 545 million debit cards linked to personal identification numbers worldwide are now enabled for use with SecureCode, the card network's security program for Internet transactions on credit and debit cards. Most of this activity is in Europe. MasterCard says some 5,800 Web …
• 9 September

  America West Becomes First Airline to Adopt Bill Me Later

  America West Airlines, a unit of America West Holdings Corp., has become the first airline to adopt I4 Commerce Inc.'s Bill Me Later Internet payment system. To encourage usage of the new payment option, the Phoenix-based air carrier is offering deferred billing for 90 days or more to qualified customers, …
• 8 September

  Way Systems Heats up the Market for Wireless Transactions

  The market for wireless point-of-sale credit and debit card transactions is about to heat up. Founded in 2002, Boston-based Way Systems Inc. is introducing a point-to-point processing system that includes mobile phones equipped with card swipes, security and transaction programming, and keypads for personal identification numbers. The swipe, keypad, and …