Competitive Strategies

Processor First Data Corp.'s Star electronic funds transfer network on Tuesday announced a deal with the Bethesda, Md.-based Allpoint ATM network that Star expects will fill in some geographic gaps in its nearly nationwide ATM coverage. Under the arrangement, financial-institution users of Star's Starsf service will be able to offer …

In a sign of the spreading popularity of remote deposit capture among U.S. businesses, Wachovia Corp.'s treasury services division announced on Monday it had hit $1 billion in remote capture volume for a single day. The Charlotte, N.C.-based regional bank attributed the milestone to the increasing adoption of the technology …

Culling seems to be a popular practice at the two largest non-bank ATM networks these days. Both Cardtronics Inc. and financially troubled TRM Corp., which is telling investors it might not survive, lost money in the second quarter and say their U.S. ATM counts are down. TRM, which has been …

The $29-billion leveraged buyout of payment processor First Data Corp. will proceed as planned, a spokesperson for the huge processor says, even though the private-equity firm leading the buyout acknowledged Monday that recent market events could make its future prospects riskier. New York City-based Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.'s statement …

Extending its reach into emerging mobile-banking and payments markets, First Data Corp. on Thursday announced an agreement with mFoundry Inc. under which the leading payment processor will offer mFoundry services to the thousands of bank and credit-union members of First Data's Star electronic-funds transfer network. The First Data agreement marks …

Traditional private-label credit cards steadily lost ground over the past two decades to general-purpose payment cards that have much greater utility. Despite the retreat, retailers still like private-label cards because their key attribute?holders tend to shop more often and buy more than non-cardholders?apparently is still valid. Now a new service …

In a development that ViVOtech Inc. is touting as a major vote of confidence in contactless payment and mobile transactions via near-field communication (NFC) technology, the Santa Clara, Calif.-based maker of contactless readers and mobile wallet software has closed a $22.5 million funding round. ViVOtech had announced the so-called Series …

Electronic bill-payment and presentment technology may be CheckFree Corp.’s sexiest products, but bank processor Fiserv Inc. will be get access to other fast-growing markets when its planned $4.4 billion cash acquisition of CheckFree, announced Thursday, closes. Most notable, perhaps, is that CheckFree just happens to be the leading provider of …

Responding to a report that surfaced on Wednesday, online retailing giant Amazon.com Inc. refuses to comment on whether it is planning to introduce soon an e-commerce payment service that will compete with other alternatives to credit and debit cards. “We do not comment on rumors or speculation,” an Amazon spokesperson …

Amid reports about tightening credit, First Data Corp. shareholders today approved the $29 billion sale of their company to private-equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. According to a First Data release, more than 98% of the shares cast voted in favor of the buyout. Shareholders will get $34.00 in …