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Bank of America Corp. and processor First Data Corp. launched a merchant-acquiring joint venture Monday, a move that marks the third major change in BofA's acquiring business in five years. First Data will own 48.5% of the new Atlanta-based Banc of America Merchant Services LLC. BofA will own 46.5%, and …
Read More »One to Many: Visa Gets a Single Connection to Multiple Carriers
Visa Inc. has a struck an agreement with NeuStar Inc., a key player in the wireless telecommunications industry, that could enable financial institutions to develop more payment services for mobile devices. Created in 1998, Sterling, Va.-based NeuStar plays a unique role in the phone business. It acts as a neutral …
Read More »Discover’s Transaction Volumes Hold Up in a Turbulent Quarter
With the credit crisis still blowing at gale force, Discover Financial Services managed to grow its second-quarter transaction and dollar volume thanks mostly to its Pulse PIN-debit network and Diners Club International more than offsetting weak credit card volume. Riverwoods, Ill.-based Discover reported Thursday that it handled a total of …
Read More »The Banking System Scrambles Toward IAT’s September Launch
With the deadline just three months away, the banking industry is scrambling to implement IAT, the new automated clearing house code for international transactions. IAT originally was to take effect March 20. But NACHA?The Electronic Payments Association, governing body of the ACH, last July pushed it back to Sept. 18, …
Read More »A Designed-for-ISOs Remote Capture Product Begins to Win Business
Wausau Financial Systems Inc., which late last year introduced a version of its remote deposit capture product specifically designed for independent sales organizations, has signed one ISO and will have three more on board by the end of the month, according to a company executive and company reports. Wausau, a …
Read More »Merchant Groups Ask for Broad Changes in Letter to PCI’s Overseer
They're mad as hell, but whether they're going to take it any more isn't quite as clear. That's the essence of a letter seven merchant trade groups sent Tuesday to the PCI Security Standards Council and the five general-purpose payment card networks. The merchants want more input when the Payment …
Read More »Eye on Security: ‘Unique’ ATM Malware; Theft of Sony Card Data
Malicious software has been discovered on some Eastern European ATMs that has dangerous new powers to extract money as well as card data, according to a security executive. Meanwhile, Sony Corp. of America has confirmed that someone illicitly copied more than 5,000 credit card numbers of its customers who visited …
Read More »Older Operating System Lingers, Holds Back ATM Services, Study Says
Banks aiming to improve customer service should accelerate their move away from old ATMs and the IBM operating system that ran them for years, according to conclusions in a new Aite Group LLC study of banks' ATM channels. While the transition from IBM Corp.'s old OS/2 operating system to Microsoft …
Read More »Merchant And ISO Austerity Leads to Tough Quarter at VeriFone
Merchants and independent sales organizations just aren't in a buying mood, and that's hurting the top line of the largest U.S.-based point-of-sale terminal maker, VeriFone Holdings Inc. San Jose, Calif.-based VeriFone late Tuesday reported that revenues for its fiscal 2009 second quarter ended April 30 fell 13.5% to $201.6 million …
Read More »New Research Shows Optimism About Mobile Banking And Payments
Spurred by the increasing popularity of smart phones and a strong push by financial institutions, the number of Americans actively using mobile-banking services could grow to 53.1 million by 2013, an increase of 431% from an estimated 10 million today. That's the prediction from research firm TowerGroup Inc., which this …
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