Transaction Processing

New consolidated industry data show the number of substitute checks, or image replacement documents (IRDs), flowing through image-exchange networks surpassed 100 million for the first time in June, but the share of paper relative to all image-exchange volume is declining. According to the Electronic Check Clearing House Organization (ECCHO), the …

MasterCard Inc., reporting quarterly results for the first time since its initial public offering in May, said it lost $310.5 million in the three-month period ended June 30, compared to a gain of $120.2 million in the second quarter of 2005. One-time expenses, including a $400.3 million cost for 13.5 …

A major deadline set by MasterCard Worldwide to enhance the security of transactions originating at wireless and Internet Protocol point-of-sale payment terminals is approaching, but some in the industry say many firms that could be affected aren't paying attention. On Sept. 1, Purchase, N.Y.-based MasterCard will require that newly-installed wireless …

Brick-and-mortar merchants?and restaurants in particular?pose the biggest risk when it comes to card-data compromises, while point-of-sale systems based on personal computers as well as those hooked up to broadband connections are at significantly greater risk. That's according to new data released by AmbironTrustWave, a Chicago-based company that performs security audits …

Growth in transaction volume slowed at online payment processor PayPal Inc. in the second quarter, with total transactions for the period reaching 143.3 million, up 27% from the year-ago quarter, according to data released last week by eBay Inc., PayPal's San Jose, Calif.-based parent company. That compares with year-over-year growth …

Direct charges to subscribers' bills and credit and debit cards will account for the bulk of mobile payments in five years, with today's preferred method, short-message-service (SMS) payments, dropping to a minority of transactions, a survey released this week indicates. Only 6% of respondents to the survey, attendees at a …

Processing giant First Data Corp. soon will launch an initiative aimed at furthering its ties with the high-margin sector of the acquiring market controlled by independent sales organizations by offering ISOs a new terminal and unified pricing for all four major general-purpose card brands, sources tell Digital Transactions News. The …

Discover Financial Services LLC's new merchant-processing pact with leading payment processor First Data Corp. that involves small and mid-sized merchants is just the first of more deals Riverwoods, Ill.-based Discover plans to strike with big merchant acquirers to expand acceptance of the No. 4 card brand while simultaneously reducing costs. …

Flush with new funding, anti-fraud software developer The 41st Parameter this week embarked on the next phase of its growth plan by introducing PCPrint, a component of its fraud-detection technology that the company will offer to vendors, processors, and other firms involved in e-commerce. In fact, Ori Eisen, founder and …

In a sign that check image exchange continues to make steady progress, SVPCO has reported its national network processed 56.5 million items in June, an 11.1% increase over May's volume. Total dollar volume for the month reached $157 billion, up 4% over May. Daily average items, a keenly watched indicator, …