News

May, 2007

• 9 May

  Approached by Suitors, eFunds Starts a ‘Strategic Review’

  Processor eFunds Corp. today gave further momentum to a financial transformation of the transaction-processing business by announcing that it has hired investment bank Goldman Sachs & Co. to explore what it calls “strategic alternatives” that could result in a merger. The eFunds disclosure comes just over a month after announcements …
• 8 May

  How BOC’s Costs Create Opportunities for Check Processors

  The back-office conversion e-check code has been live for nearly two months now, and, as many predicted with its March 16 debut, it came in like a lamb. There have been few, if any, high-profile product launches or other splashy events associated with the new automated clearing house payment option. …
• 7 May

  Eye on Image Exchange: Volume Quintuples, SVPCO Gains in April

  Total image-exchange volume quintupled in the 12 months through March, while the percentage of items clearing at paying banks as images rather than as paper substitute checks grew to 64% from 36%, according to the most recent statistics compiled by the Electronic Check Clearing House Organization. In a further sign …
• 4 May

  A Startup’s Technology Starts to Accelerate M-Commerce

  A Seattle-based startup that translates merchant sites to the mobile Web in a matter of minutes has doubled the number of sites it has signed up for its service in the last six weeks, according to the company's top executive. The company, mPoria Inc., now has about 30 sites signed …
• 3 May

  Soaring Debit Traffic Helps Propel Revenue And Profit at MasterCard

  Surging U.S. debit card traffic is helping to propel revenues and profits for MasterCard Inc. as the Purchase, N.Y.-based network marks its first full year as a publicly held company. Point-of-sale debit card activity for the company hit 1.5 billion transactions in the first quarter, up fully 48% over the …
• 3 May

  First Data’s ViVOtech Stake Could Pay off for Both Companies

  ViVOtech Inc., the Santa Clara, Calif.-based maker of contactless point-of-sale card readers and mobile-wallet applications, is raising $20 million in its third round of venture-capital funding. The lead investor in this latest round announced this week is none other than First Data Corp., the No. 1 payment-card processor. ViVOtech, First …
• 2 May

  NACHA Will Soon Unveil Pricing for Its Online Payments Pilot

  NACHA-The Electronic Payments Association expects to release pricing details in about two weeks for its long-awaited online-payments pilot, an official working on the project says. The details will set out a form of interchange fee merchants' banks will pay to banks that will authorize transactions and authenticate consumers, as well …
• 1 May

  Supreme Court Patent Ruling Won’t Affect Us, DataTreasury Says

  A U.S. Supreme Court ruling that appears to rein in the ability of certain technology patent holders to press their claims against alleged infringers is likely to have little or no impact on what has been a highly effective enforcement campaign by a company that holds patents bearing on check …

April, 2007

• 30 April

  Banks Are Starting To Go Mobile, But Consumers Are Ho-Hum

  Just as banks are starting to jump back into the mobile-banking market, a research report has emerged to indicate consumers may still not be ready to use their handsets for transaction services. Only 8% of online users who own a cell phone say they are interested in using the device …
• 26 April

  Some PCI Progress, But Visa Sends a List of Non-Compliant Software

  Amid highly publicized data breaches at major chains like TJX Cos. Inc. and Stop & Shop Supermarket Cos., large merchants are making progress in achieving compliance with the Payment Card Industry data-security standard (PCI), though nearly two-thirds of them have still not been certified as meeting the standard. Some 35% …