Security weaknesses have caused Hypercom Corp. to pull the plug on a software system that enables gateways and merchants using personal computers as virtual terminals to connect to payment-processing services. Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Hypercom sent a notice on July 15 to users of its SmartPayments Savannah Server and related products that …

  Fear of the damage that a data breach can inflict on a brand, rather than of network fines, drives organizations to invest in compliance with the Payment Card Industry data-security standard (PCI), a study released on Tuesday says. Some 69% of the mostly online organizations surveyed cited brand protection …

  Faster clearing and settlement of automated clearing house transactions, hampered by a host of issues and limitations, could be picking up some momentum, albeit slowly. Software is emerging to allow both large and small financial institutions to take advantage of a nearly 1-year-old Federal Reserve service that clears transactions …

  NCR Corp. bolstered its position at the point of sale this week by announcing a deal to buy Radiant Systems Inc. for $1.2 billion in cash. Alpharetta, Ga.-based Radiant Systems is a specialist in POS software and hardware for various merchant segments, especially the hospitality industry and specialty retailers. …

  n It also raises as many questions as it answers. n He refrained from speculating on what changes might be made, but the panel agreed the Fed’s room for maneuver is constrained by Congress. The Fed’s rule implements the Durbin Amendment to the Dodd-Frank Act, passed by Congress last …

Now that the Federal Reserve’s new debit card interchange regulations are finally out in the open, the profile of yet another payment card interchange and rules controversy is slowly rising. That’s the raft of merchant antitrust lawsuits pending in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, N.Y., collectively known as “MDL 1720.” …

  Keeping a Wary Eye on the Networks   Forget about Google and PayPal. Merchant acquirers are more worried about competitive threats from their long-time spouses by forced marriage, the payment card networks.   That intelligence comes from an Aite Group LLC survey of 20 industry executives, including 17 chief …

  Karen Epper Hoffman   The recession and the shaky recovery have taken their toll on acquiring, though the business has fared better than most other industries. Now, the business could be set to soar—if factors like Durbin don’t choke off growth.   In an economy where even the strongest …

n by Steve Mott   While most observers have viewed Visa’s recent string of acquisitions as a mere broadening of its conventional card franchise, a long-time analyst of the payments business sees a clever play for dominance of the digital future.   Just when the U.S. payments industry appears poised …

  René M. Pelegero   The dominance of credit cards for online purchases means Durbin’s debit-interchange cuts won’t benefit e-commerce merchants as much as brick-and-mortar retailers. But, with some strategic thinking, online sellers can wring maximum savings out of the new regulations.   By the time this article went to …