Fireman's Fund Insurance Co. this week unveiled what it says is the first coverage available to small and medium-sized businesses for losses from payment card data breaches. News of the policy came on the same day that a non-profit research organization reported that data breaches increased 47% last year. The …

At a time when many independent sales organizations are struggling to keep transaction volumes up as consumers reduce discretionary retail and restaurant spending, YapStone Inc. is further entrenching itself in a stable and high-growth revenue niche, recurring payments, through its Dec. 31 acquisition of the assets of Paymerica LLC. Jacksonville, …

Largely confirming what it projected in late November, point-of-sale terminal provider VeriFone Holdings Inc. says North American business from independent sales organizations and merchant processors was off in the fiscal fourth quarter ended Oct. 31, and prospects for fiscal 2009 aren't much better. San Jose, Calif.-based VeriFone eked out a …

At a time of rising business failures and intense industry competition, United Bank Card Inc. says its new Harbortouch unit is producing what the big independent sales organization sought?enhanced merchant relationships and higher margins. In addition to card processing, Harbortouch offers small and mid-sized restaurants and retailers business-management hardware and …

Merchants are getting the message that they should not store credit and debit card data, but that's turning into yesterday's issue, according to Chicago-based Trustwave, one of the big card-industry security consultancies. In a report released on Monday, Trustwave says that computer hackers may still be able to steal card …

Select-A-Branch ATM Network LLC, the startup that offers electronic multibank branding on its ATMs, is about to bust out of the Northeast thanks to a new pact with TRM Corp.'s Access To Money network. The exclusive distribution agreement-in-principle deal would give Select-A-Branch potential access to about 3,000 ATMs in convenience …

As mobile banking spreads to more banks, the companies that enable the service are getting ready to bring it to the merchant point of sale, along with a bevy of incentives to induce consumers to buy. The move, say some, stems from the recognition that if banks simply enroll online-banking …

In buying Chockstone Inc., a provider of gift card and loyalty services and technology for merchants, Heartland Payment Systems Inc. essentially is making a bet that merchants with loyal customers make more loyal clients for merchant acquirers. “That certainly is part of the thought process,” Heartland president and chief financial …

North American Bancard, one of the nation's biggest independent sales organizations, has established a new division it hopes will help merchants navigate tricky technological waters beyond payment processing, thereby increasing merchant loyalty. Troy, Mich.-based North American says the purpose of its new Alliance Division is to forge relationships with software …

Agents with independent sales organizations or even large merchant processors trying to sell prospective merchants on new point-of-sale technology can get the attention of decision makers, but only if they anticipate how a smart merchant will make a complex buying decision, a senior executive with the nation's largest restaurant chain …