An acquiring group at heart, the Electronic Transactions Association adapts to changing business models and payments technologies. But has it outgrown its base among grassroots ISOs? Now in its 26th year, the Electronic Transactions Association may be in the midst of one of its most transformative periods yet. The Washington, …

  An acquiring group at heart, the Electronic Transactions Association adapts to changing business models and payments technologies. But has it outgrown its base among grassroots ISOs? Now in its 26th year, the Electronic Transactions Association may be in the midst of one of its most transformative periods yet. The …

Courting and retaining high-risk merchants can yield high returns. But it’s a lot of work. It’s no simple task, but one that can yield enviable returns. Finding the profit in high-risk merchants requires diligence, a knack for customer service, and a commitment to thoroughness. It also requires deep knowledge of …

As promised, the Electronic Transactions Association has updated its 2014 guidelines for merchant acquirers and independent sales organizations on merchant underwriting and monitoring. And more updates are likely as technology and regulators keep the pressure on merchant processors to stay ahead of risks to the payment system. “We really want …

2015 is the year of EMV, as much for the various ways chip cards are causing anxiety for the payments business as for their putative benefits. But a host of other issues is keeping payments executives awake these days, as well. Well, it seemed like a good idea at the …

Those of you who go to payments conferences where Heartland Payment Systems chief executive Robert O. Carr speaks know that Bob has lately taken to pointing out deceptive practices by acquirer representatives in their efforts to sell to merchants. He describes these abuses in some detail and, just to underscore …

The Electronic Transactions Association, the national merchant-acquiring trade group, is ramping up its presence on Capitol Hill to stem the increasing regulation of the payments industry. The Washington, D.C.-based ETA recently spawned the creation of so-called payments caucuses in both the Senate and House of Representatives, chief executive Jason Oxman …

Two independent sales organization executives who ran afoul of government regulators cautioned their industry colleagues Thursday on how to stay out of trouble. The warnings came during a session at the MidWest Acquirers Association (MWAA) annual conference in Chicago titled “You, Me and the FTC: Personal Stories From Being in …

Possibly as soon as later this year, the processing giant will undergo a mammoth IPO. Here, a payments-industry analyst sizes up what the company can offer investors. The world’s largest payment processor, First Data Corp., is girding for an initial public offering, likely later this year. It promises to be …

By Jim Daly Global Payments Inc., the biggest processor swept up in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s April lawsuit against allegedly fraudulent debt collectors, came out with guns blazing Thursday in its first response to the CFPB’s complaint. “The CFPB’s attempt to hold Global [Payments] responsible for the actions of …