Two processors specializing in prepaid wireless transactions announced a merger on Wednesday that will create the second-largest provider in the business and could create opportunities for independent sales organizations. In a deal for which terms were not announced, Emida Technologies Inc., Foothill Ranch, Calif., is combining with Orem, Utah-based Q …

PayPal, the online payment service of Internet auctioneer eBay Inc., has taken two more steps in its effort to diversify its transaction base beyond the eBay fold. This week it announced it would use IP Commerce Inc. technology to enable small businesses to easily send invoices and receive payment through …

The recent surge of interest by banks in allowing customers to view accounts, pay bills, and perform other functions via mobile phones is paving the way for mobile payments to merchants at the point of sale, according to a new research report. In particular, the report argues, mobile banking will …

MODASolutions Inc. which has been marketing an online-payment system called SECURE-eBill for more than two years, has renamed the service and introduced its first buyer-protection policy to cover instances of delayed or damaged goods, as well as non-delivery. The new policy comes as online retailers seek alternatives to bank-issued credit …

Consumers are more loyal to the form of payment they prefer than they are to any particular retail brand, a situation that could work to the benefit of card issuers and processors but also merchants, a retail consultant says. In a survey cited by Gary Charboneau, president of Wakefield, R.I.-based …

Private-equity financing continued to make itself felt this week in the transaction-processing business, with Blackstone Capital Partners VLP's $7.8 billion bid for Alliance Data Systems Corp. and GTCR Golder Rauner LLC's decision to sell TransFirst LLC to an even bigger investment house, Welsh, Carson, Anderson, & Stowe, for $683 million. …

In the battle against the online fraud known as phishing, March brought a mix of good news and bad, with dramatic drops in malicious software offset by a steep rise in targeted brands, according to the latest report from an organization that tracks the fraud. Separately, the U.S. Commerce Department …

The back-office conversion e-check code has been live for nearly two months now, and, as many predicted with its March 16 debut, it came in like a lamb. There have been few, if any, high-profile product launches or other splashy events associated with the new automated clearing house payment option. …

A Seattle-based startup that translates merchant sites to the mobile Web in a matter of minutes has doubled the number of sites it has signed up for its service in the last six weeks, according to the company's top executive. The company, mPoria Inc., now has about 30 sites signed …

NACHA-The Electronic Payments Association expects to release pricing details in about two weeks for its long-awaited online-payments pilot, an official working on the project says. The details will set out a form of interchange fee merchants' banks will pay to banks that will authorize transactions and authenticate consumers, as well …