Wednesday , January 14, 2026

Law and Regulation

Acquirers, Small Merchants See More Risk-Reduction Value in PCI, Survey Shows

The 7-year-old Payment Card Industry data-security standard (PCI) is proving its effectiveness in preventing data breaches among small merchants, according to a survey of payments-industry acquirers set to be released next week. The survey, cosponsored by ControlScan Inc., an Alpharetta, Ga.-based vendor of PCI-compliance solutions, and the Merchant Acquirers’ Committee, …

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New DoJ Interpretation Could Lead to State-by-State Online Betting, Despite UIGEA

A 5-year-old law that bans U.S. banks and processors from handling online-gambling transactions won’t stand in the way of a U.S. Justice Department opinion released last week that appears to put the federal government's imprimatur on intrastate online betting. The DoJ on Dec. 23 released a 13-page memorandum giving states …

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Though They’ll Remain Popular, Debit Cards Will See Some Growth Clipped by Regulation

Debit cards will remain popular with consumers, but the Durbin Amendment will take as much as three percentage points off its annual growth rate over the next five years, according to a new analysis from First Annapolis Consulting Inc. Some transactions that might have gone to debit cards will switch …

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The Planets Align for a Boom in Mobile Remote Deposit Capture

  Only a handful of the nation’s 13,000 financial institutions today offer remote deposit capture to consumers, but, riding the wave of smart-phone popularity, the number is poised to mushroom, according to new research findings from Celent LLC, Boston. Some 66% of 187 banks and credit unions Celent surveyed in …

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Citing New IRS Rules, the ETA And the ABA Ask to Delay Part of Federal Reporting Law

  Two industry trade groups are asking for a delay in implementation of portions of the new federal law requiring acquirers to report merchants’ electronic payment transactions to the Internal Revenue Service, saying constant changes in the reporting form and other problems are making it difficult to meet the reporting …

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In the Wake of Reporting Complaints, IRS Says It Will Delay Penalties, Withholding

Responding to complaints about problems in implementing a new federal law requiring acquirers to report merchants’ electronic payment transactions, the Internal Revenue Service announced on Wednesday it will delay penalty provisions and withholding requirements for a year, until Jan. 1, 2013. Acquirers still are required to file the new 1099-K …

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Federal Agencies Turn a Watchful Eye on Third-Party Payments Providers

  Already the subject of new debit card regulations, the payments industry is coming in for more scrutiny from the federal government. A Federal Trade Commission official told attendees at a merchant-acquiring conference on Thursday that the government has formed a task force to monitor third-party payment-services providers. The feds’ …

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