Law and Regulation

The Credit Card Competition Act is making a comeback, this time with more bipartisan support. The bill, originally launched last summer by Sens. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan,), is expected to be reintroduced in the Senate, apparently with few changes, as early as this week, according to an …

So-called friendly fraud is a growing problem for many merchants. A report from chargeback-management firm Chargebacks911 reveals that nearly three quarters of the 300 merchants surveyed have seen a 19% increase in illegitimate chargebacks on average so far in 2023 compared to the same period last year. At the same …

Despite the increasing popularity of buy now, pay later loans, some BNPL providers could do a better job when it comes to providing consumer protections, such as disclosing fees and enabling consumers to manage their data and privacy settings, a study by Consumer Reports found. When it comes to the …

U.S. investment managers have grown bullish about Bitcoin’s prospects despite recent events that have roiled digital-currency markets, research released Wednesday indicates. Feeding the renewed optimism are prospects for “improved regulation” and expectations of a “recovery in valuations” for Bitcoin, according to the research, in which 30 major investment managers were …

Amazon.com Inc. is adding another feature to its Amazon One palm-based identity service, and Chinese site WeChat has brought palm recognition to cameras used for facial recognition. Amazon One has added an age-verification component, Amazon said in a blog post. Launched in 2020, the technology recently expanded beyond Amazon properties …

As part of a settlement with Citizens Bank, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is requiring the bank to pay a $9-million civil money penalty for its alleged failure to “properly manage and respond to customers’ credit card disputes and fraud claims.” The agreement is subject to approval by the court. UATP, a …

Small businesses in Canada will reap lower interchange rates in that country, the Department of Finance Canada announced Thursday. The deal suggests a similar reduction is possible in the United States, the Merchant Payments Coalition quickly responded. Both Mastercard Inc. and Visa Inc. agreed to lower the domestic consumer credit …

Cybercrime remains a scourge difficult to tame, according to data from Apple Inc., the Identity Theft Resource Center, and LexisNexis Risk Solutions. Apple Inc. late Tuesday revealed it stopped more than $2 billion in fraudulent transactions in its app store in 2022. In addition, the technology giant blocked nearly 3.9 …

Mitek Systems Inc., a provider of identity-verification technology, is teaming up with DarkTower, the cyber-intelligence division of Davidson, N.C.-based IT consultancy Queen Associates, to combat account fraud and identity theft. The partnership grew out the increasing role criminal marketplaces on the dark Web are playing in account and check fraud, …

Merchants’ price for accepting credit cards has remained steady for years, according to data released Monday by the Electronic Payments Coalition, an advocacy group representing the payment card industry. The EPC’s release comes as widespread and longstanding merchant complaints about the cost of card acceptance have sparked efforts by federal …