Linda Punch   Increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes show that personal identification numbers are more vulnerable than once thought. Bring in the reinforcements.       For the past 40 years, personal identification numbers have built an enviable reputation as a nearly inviolable security feature. They’re much more secure than …

  By Peter Lucas   The ACH hasn’t had a substantial change to its settlement windows in years. With the Fed offering same-day clearing and NACHA starting a rule-making process, that’s changing. But is it changing fast enough?       Same-day clearing and settlement of transactions through the automated …

  If domestic online merchants were to adopt payment alternatives similar to those of their competitors in other countries, they could realize as much as a 60% increase in their business.   Rapidly expanding economies overseas represent a rich opportunity for domestic online merchants. Too bad these merchants aren’t equipped …

  As manufacturers scramble to develop tablet computers to challenge Apple Inc.’s dominant iPad, findings from an electronic-commerce services firm suggest payments companies looking for new transaction volume through mobile devices would be smart to do everything they can to encourage consumers to buy things on the iPad and its …

  The culture of ratings and reviews, so prevalent in the online world these days, has come to the business of merchant acquiring as a slew of sites has emerged to size up processors and independent sales organizations. Merchant Maverick, a 2-year-old site in Orange, Calif., takes the concept a …

One week after announcing it is testing dual-message PIN debit, the Shazam debit network said on Tuesday it will introduce later this year a product that will let merchants accept PIN debit transactions on smart phones. The product, developed by Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based authentication-technology vendor Adaptive Payments, comes as networks …

ACI Worldwide Inc. on Thursday sweetened its offer for rival payments-software vendor S1 Corp. Facing stiff resistance from S1’s management, ACI added 50 cents a share to the cash portion of its bid, increasing it from the $5.70 it first offered July 26 to $6.20. It is also offering about …

It won’t be long until payment card acceptance applications and card readers for smart phones are as easy to get in stores as cornflakes or socks. The latest example: Intuit Inc. and Verizon Wireless on Thursday announced that Intuit’s GoPayment mobile application and reader are now available in Verizon Wireless’s …

  n In a related move, Shazam is also testing applications written for both the iPhone and Android mobile operating systems that will let store staffers move away from checkout counters and use mobile devices to complete PIN-debit transactions anywhere on the sales floor. These apps will also become available …

The heated rivalry between payment-software firms S1 Corp. and ACI Worldwide Inc. for the loyalty of S1’s shareholders took on yet more urgency on Monday as S1 urged owners of its shares to reject an offer from ACI. In a letter to shareholders seeking proxies in support of a proposed …