ATMs

Consumers continue to pay higher fees for out-of-network ATM transactions, but have more access to free, non-interest checking accounts, says Bankrate Inc.’s annual survey of checking-account fees. Combined surcharges levied by ATM deployers and a consumer’s own bank total $4.57, up 5 cents, or 1.1%, from a year ago, a …

• A federal judge in California has allowed an antitrust case to move forward against American Express Co., Discover Financial Services, MasterCard Inc., and Visa Inc. The case was filed in March by Florida merchants as a class-action suit alleging the networks had conspired to shift chargeback liability from banks …

By Peter Lucas@DTPaymentNews Consumers continue to pay higher fees for out-of-network ATM transactions, but have more access to free, non-interest checking accounts, says Bankrate Inc.’s annual survey of checking-account fees. Combined surcharges levied by

By Jim Daly@DTPaymentNews The first business day of 2016’s fourth quarter produced several announcements about payments-industry acquisitions. In the biggest, globe-trotting ATM network operator Cardtronics plc will gain a toehold in the Asia-Pacific region by acquiring Canadian ATM firm DirectCash Payments Inc. (DCPayments) for $460 million. Meanwhile, Meta Financial Group …

• ATM network operator Cardtronics plc announced it plans to buy Canadian ATM operator DirectCash Payments Inc. (DCPayments) for $460 million; DC Payments operates 25,000 ATMs and will give Cardtronics its first presence in Australia and New Zealand and expand its operations in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Mexico. • …

By Kevin Woodward@DTPaymentNews ATM operators wondering if their machines will be compliant with MasterCard Inc.’s EMV protocols by Saturday, Oct. 1, now have a little more breathing room. MasterCard confirmed to Digital Transactions News Friday that the date, widely thought to be Saturday, is actually Oct. 21. While the Oct. …

• Processor Fiserv Inc. said ATM services provider FCTI Inc., a U.S. affiliate of convenience-store giant 7-Eleven Inc.’s Japan-based parent company, picked it to provide transaction processing for 7-Eleven’s nearly 8,000 U.S. ATMs when FCTI takes over the portfolio next July from Cardtronics plc. • Payment technology provider ACI Worldwide …

• A consumer class-action lawsuit filed by the United Kingdom government’s former financial-services ombudsman against MasterCard Inc. seeks 14 billion pounds ($18.6 billion) in damages for allegedly charging excessive merchant fees between 1992 and 2008, expenses merchants passed on to consumers. In a statement, MasterCard said it “firmly” disagrees with …

By Jim Daly@DTPaymentNews The ATM Industry Association on Monday issued a position paper that once again calls for freedom for deployers to set variable surcharges. The Sioux Falls, S.D.-based trade group took that stance a decade ago, but the coming of EMV chip cards to the U.S. makes the surcharging …

• A variety of financial-services firms, including MasterCard Inc., SWIFT, and Visa Inc., participated in a 130-page report released Friday by the World Economic Forum that concludes “distributed-ledger technology will form the foundation of next-generation financial services infrastructure in conjunction with other existing and emerging technologies.” • M&T Bank announced …