Early adopters in the consumer remote deposit capture market say their services are a hit with customers, but they also say they are able to keep risk under control as remote deposit for smart phones seems poised to hit the big time. “It’s actually something that’s been very, very successful …
Read More »In a First, eBay Permits Gateways Besides PayPal
When eBay Inc. late last month announced it will no longer allow so-called third-party checkout services after June 30, 2011, the San Jose, Calif.-based online auctioneer’s policy shift attracted plenty of attention. Less noted was a decision, announced at the same time, to allow payment gateways other than PayPal to …
Read More »Will New Regs Cool off Open Loop’s Hot Growth?
Powered in part by surging government programs, open-loop prepaid cards barreled along in 2009, according to new findings from Mercator Advisory Group Inc. Now the question is whether that growth will continue after new payment card regulations kick in some time next year. Maynard, Mass.-based Mercator estimates users loaded $124.6 …
Read More »BankServ Snaps up NetDeposit, Bulks Up in Remote Capture
Already a force in remote deposit capture and specialty deposit and payment services, privately held BServ Inc.’s BankServ on Tuesday announced that it would acquire a pioneer in the remote capture niche, Zions Bancorporation’s wholly owned NetDeposit LLC subsidiary. The combined operation will serve more than 100,000 business locations and …
Read More »Visa Guidance Targets Slipshod Payment Card Software Practices
Recognizing that sloppy payment-processing software installations can lead to data breaches, Visa Inc. on Tuesday issued what it calls the top 10 best practices for secure software management. Visa is aiming the guidance mostly at third-party software vendors, integrators, value-added resellers (VARs), and others that sell or license card-processing applications …
Read More »Elavon’s New Boss Aims to Strengthen Processor’s Game Plan
Merchant processing is one of the bright stars in U.S. Bancorp’s firmament, and Mike Passilla, the new boss of the Minneapolis-based banking firm’s Elavon merchant-acquiring subsidiary, aims to keep payments shining. Passilla on Monday became president and chief executive of Atlanta-based Elavon, which serves 1.2 million merchants in North America …
Read More »Two Years in Coming, an IRS Reporting Rule Takes Effect
While the payment card industry is bracing for debit card interchange and other regulations that will come next year from the Federal Reserve as a result of the new financial-reform law, merchant acquirers on Monday got a long-anticipated reporting rule. Beginning with the 2011 tax year, acquirers must report how …
Read More »A Survey Reveals a Rising Volume of Disputed ACH Debits
Transaction volumes are rising on the automated clearing house, but a recently released survey shows a nasty side effect of this growth is a rise in the volume of disputed transactions. Some 63% of processors and financial institutions reported they handled more disputed, or unauthorized, payments last year than in …
Read More »PCI Council Tweaks Rules to Clarify Issues Like Scope of Assessment
The PCI Security Standards Council on Thursday gave a sneak peek at planned changes in the Payment Card Industry data-security standard, or PCI. While a Council document outlines 15 planned changes, the proposals are “relatively minor,” according to a news release. “The No. 1 thing again is greater clarity on …
Read More »First Data’s Alliance with BofA Helps Fuel Surge in Transactions
Boosted by its big new merchant alliance with Bank of America Corp., First Data Corp.’s transaction count surged 41% in the second quarter, the leading payment processor reported Tuesday. Factoring out the BofA alliance, First Data’s transaction volume from existing merchants grew a much less spectacular but still respectable 9%, …
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