Barring any dramatic departures from script by the Federal Reserve, which is charged with writing the regulations to implement the Durbin Amendment, it now appears that law’s stringent limits on debit card interchange will go into effect more or less on schedule, perhaps this month. The banks’ last hope …

  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 n n n n n n n n n n n n n n

  Some 49% of debit card holders would either stop using their cards or use them less often if their issuers slapped a $1-to-$2 monthly fee on their checking accounts in return for unlimited usage, and another 25% would close their accounts altogether, according to consumer research released this week. …

  n That’s the gist of a June 8 letter purportedly from Visa Inc. chairman and chief executive Joseph W. Saunders to U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., a copy of which was obtained by Digital Transactions News. On June 8, an amendment to delay Durbin’s provisions for further study …

  With issuers and program managers having come under fire in recent months for allegedly high and numerous consumer fees for prepaid products, American Express Co. on Tuesday launched a reloadable prepaid card that levies no activation or maintenance fees. It also charges no reload fee when value is loaded …

  Visa Inc. on Thursday cemented into place two more pieces of a developing strategy for what is rapidly turning into a hotly competitive market for mobile payments. The world’s largest card network announced it had struck an agreement with Monitise PLC, a U.K.-based provider of mobile services for financial …

  All Signs Point to Credit Cards’ Recovery   After getting KO’d in the recession, credit card usage is back on its feet. While card issuers are more cautious than they were a few years ago, consumers who have credit cards are using them more frequently, and they are spending …

  Karen Epper Hoffman Outmaneuvered and outgunned by merchants, banks lost a key interchange battle last year with the passage of the Durbin Amendment. But lately they’ve gone back on the offensive in an all-out push to delay—and maybe kill—the new law. The passage of new card interchange fee rules …

  Kevin Barry   Finding another, unaffiliated PIN-debit network is now mandated by law, but it also makes sense strategically and tactically. Issuers must act quickly, though, to realize the full advantage of the move.   In the past, card issuers have largely partnered with debit networks and promoted authentication …