ATM & Debit News articles from December 2006

ATM & Debit News archives from December 2006

Visa Rolls Out Reload Network.
December 7, 2006... Consumers will be able to reload their Visa prepaid cards at the 1,550 supermarkets in Safeway Inc.'s network beginning next week, says Todd Brockman, Visa USA senior vice president of prepaid products. The deal is part of an agreement Visa has...

Cards Click With Small Buys.
December 7, 2006... More than 67 million Americans who used cards for purchases in the past month bought items costing less than $5, according to Peppercoin, a Waltham, Mass.-based small-payments technology company. "Consumers have clearly demonstrated that, when...

Gift Card Fees Could Be Targets Of New Congress.
December 7, 2006... The Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports magazine, expects the U.S. House and Senate to introduce bills prohibiting fees and expiration dates on gift cards when the new, Democrat-controlled Congress convenes in January. Susanna...

Industry Copes As ATM Poaching Takes Its Toll.
December 7, 2006... Off-premise ATM operators have two ways to take business away from competitors. One involves going to merchants that own their machines and trying to persuade them to switch their processing arrangements after their existing contracts expire....

ACH-Based Network Hopes New Name Will Expand Company's Growth Options.
December 7, 2006... Can a name change help a company grow its business faster? Debitman Card Inc., which last week changed its name to Tempo Payments Inc., sure hopes so. Executives at the San Mateo, Calif.-based PIN-debit network say a study they conducted...

AmEx Pushes Charge Over Debit In Card Mailers.
December 7, 2006... Will that be charge or debit? American Express Co. is suggesting to its cardholders that there really is little difference, and the issuer is urging some of its members to pay for holiday gifts this season with their Green and Gold charge cards...

EFunds, AmEx Strike Deal.
December 7, 2006... eFunds Corp. has signed a 9.5-year agreement to process American Express Co.'s prepaid cards. EFunds will be responsible for activating cards, approving purchases and recording card balances. AmEx previously used its own processing platform....

Remittance Pact Signed.
December 7, 2006... No Borders Inc., a Nevada-based debit card provider, has signed a marketing agreement in which Corregidora Global Group CCG will market and distribute No Borders' debit card to Mexicans who receive remittances from relatives and friends living...

MasterCard Wins FIFA Ruling.
December 14, 2006... MasterCard Worldwide has the rights to sponsor the next two World Cup soccer tournaments, a judge ruled last week in a huge marketing victory for the network over rival Visa International. MasterCard sued the Federation Internationale de...

Credit Unions Add ATM Access.
December 14, 2006... Covera Card Solutions, a Latham, N.Y.-based debit and credit card provider, says it recently helped facilitate agreements for ATM access, card issuing and EFT transaction processing for 14 New York credit unions. Eleven of the institutions...

Lawsuit Alleges Star Conspiracy In ATM-Fee Case.
December 14, 2006... The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California has ordered depositions in a consumer class-action antitrust lawsuit over the way the Star EFT network once set ATM interchange fees. A status conference in the case is scheduled...

Banks May Use Multiple Vendors For Imaging ATMs.
December 14, 2006... NCR Corp. so far leads the industry in the deployment of ATMs that take images of deposited cash and checks. But as more banks adopt the technology, which eliminates the need for deposit envelopes, they likely will split their ATM relationships...

Questions Remain As Visa Launches Prepaid Card Reload Network.
December 14, 2006... Visa USA's rollout in the next few weeks of ReadyLink, the card organization's prepaid card reload network, could trigger new rules governing interchange, settlement, fraud and even national security. The network also could accomplish a...

ATM Maker Seeks U.S. Growth With Better Service.
December 14, 2006... Wincor Nixdorf USA is seeking to improve its ATM-servicing capabilities to grow its business, which reported a 5% drop in ATM shipments last year. The Paderborn, Germany-based company wants to buy one or more service companies that can...

Merchant Tests Hybrid ATMs.
December 14, 2006... Tio Networks Corp. will install and test hybrid ATMs at 52 Dollar General Corp. stores in Memphis and Nashville, Tenn. Besides cash withdrawals, the machines enable consumers to pay bills and purchase prepaid wireless cards. ATM maker Tranax...

Triton Expands Service Hours.
December 14, 2006... Long Beach, Miss.-based ATM maker Triton has extended its business hours for ATM parts ordering. Customers now can place orders until 8 p.m. CST for shipment the next day. Previously, only orders received before 2 p.m. could be shipped the next...

Debit, Small Sales Catch On.
December 21, 2006... Of 1,525 consumers polled recently who own or have used a debit card, 24% said they always or almost always use the plastic for purchases between $2 and $10, while 10% said they always or almost always use it for purchases below $1, according...

Prepaid Reload Network Expands.
December 21, 2006... MasterCard Worldwide announced Tuesday it will expand its rePower Load Network to allow consumers to add value to MasterCard- or Maestro-branded prepaid cards at participating merchants. Atlanta-based prepaid card provider InComm will offer...

Morgan Stanley To Spin Off Unit That Owns Pulse.
December 21, 2006... Morgan Stanley this week announced plans to spin off Discover Financial Services LLC, owner of the Pulse EFT Network and issuer of the Discover card. Morgan Stanley executives and one analyst contacted by ATM&Debit News agree the spin-off...

Security Deadline Nears; Another Extension Likely?
December 21, 2006... Operators of tens of thousands of off-premise ATMs are facing an imminent deadline to upgrade their equipment with mandated security protections or risk having them turned off by the EFT networks that switch their transactions. "They're...

MagTek Shifts Focus Of MagnePrint From Points of Sale To ATMs.
December 21, 2006... After finding little success garnering support for its Magneprint fraud-fighting service at the point of sale, MagTek Inc. is turning to another area where fraud is growing: the ATM. MagnePrint, which was launched four years ago, is...

TRM Sells Units To Help Stabilize U.S. Operations.
December 21, 2006... TRM Corp., the financially troubled ATM operator, has moved quickly to sell off operations, reduce debt and stabilize its U.S. ATM operations less than a month after reporting dismal third-quarter earnings. In back-to-back announcements...

Personalized Gift Cards Offered.
December 21, 2006... MasterCard Worldwide announced last week an online service that allows small businesses to give personalized branded gift cards to employees. The nonreloadable gift cards can be customized with a company's logo, the gift recipient's name and a...

Visa Ups The PCI Ante.
December 21, 2006... Visa USA has started a $20 million fund to reward acquirers whose largest merchant customers speed up compliance with the Payment Card Industry data-security standard. Acquirers whose PCI-designated Level 1 or Level 2 merchants have been...

The 2006 ATM&Debit News Index.
December 28, 2006... The 2006 ATM&Debit News index lists titles, dates and a summary of each story published this year. Articles are listed by subject, according to the date published. Also included is a list of sources interviewed during the year, their companies...