Cardline articles from December 2005

Cardline archives from December 2005

FIRST DATA'S CHARLES FOTE ANNOUNCES HIS RETIREMENT.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... Charles T. Fote, chairman and CEO of First Data Corp., this morning announced that he is retiring from the Greenwood Village, CO-based card processor for personal reasons. The 56-year-old Fote, who has been CEO since 2002 and chairman since...

CEO: FIRST DATA WILL ACCELERATE EVALUATION OF CARD BUSINESS.
December 2, 2005... Henry C. "Ric" Duques, First Data Corp.'s new CEO, told analysts this morning that he will accelerate the company's review of its Card Issuing Services unit because it has been a drag on revenue and profit growth and negatively affects Wall...

CONCORD CONSOLIDATION HAS AFFECTED WALL STREET'S VALUATION OF FIRST DATA.
December 2, 2005... Henry C."Ric" Duques, First Data Corp.'s new CEO, told analysts this morning that the consolidation of Concord EFS into First Data has been a contributing factor in Wall Street's restraint on the valuation of the company. Duques, 62, also cited...

VISA REPORTS A 15% INCREASE IN SPENDING OVER THANKSGIVING WEEKEND.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... Visa USA reported sales on its branded credit and debit cards of $7.1 billion for the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving, a 15% increase from the same period in 2004. Spending was $3.9 billion on "Black Friday" as retailers call it and $3.2...

ENERGY PRICES MAY CURB CONSUMER SPENDING.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... Sales indications may be positive for the holiday shopping season, but Moody's Investors Service today threw an iceball at retailers' prospects for the next 12 months. Moody's reported that many retailers' credit quality will decline in the...

CONTACTLESS PROPELS OTI'S THIRD QUARTER REVENUE.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... On Track Innovations Ltd., an Israel-based supplier of contactless card and reader technology, says its third quarter revenue was $12.1 million, a 120% increase over the $5.5 million in revenue from the quarter ending Sept. 30, 2004. It had a...

MCDONALD'S WILL GIVE AWAY STORED-VALUE CARD.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... McDonald's Corp. will begin giving away $22 million worth of stored value cards tomorrow when it distributes promotional versions of its new reloadable payment cards to Southwest Airlines and American Express customers and in its restaurants...

VIVOTECH, USA TECHNOLOGIES FORM CONTACTLESS MICROPAYMENTS ALLIANCE.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... USA Technologies, Inc., a Malvern, PA-based wireless payments processor, has formed an alliance with contactless card reader manufacturer VivoTech Inc. The alliance will enable contactless card payments at vending machines. Under the agreement,...

BRIEFS.(MasterCard Inc. to provide services to New York card association)(Huntington Co. signs contract with CardTronics)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... MasterCard Inc. shareholders at a special meeting today approved a range of proposals to provide the Purchase, NY, card association with a new ownership and governance structure. The proposals include an initial public offering of the company's...

CYBER MONDAY BOOSTS ONLINE CHARGE VOLUME FOR VISA-BRANDED CARDS.
December 2, 2005... Visa USA reported today Cyber Monday online volume of $505 million on Visa-branded cards, a 26% increase from the same day last year. The retail industry calls the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday Cyber Monday because consumers get back to...

MASTERCARD TO WAIVE SIGNATURE AT MORE RETAILERS.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... MasterCard International will allow all U.S. retailers to dispense with a customer signature and receipt for transactions under $25 starting Jan. 1, Art Kranzley, executive vice president of advanced payments, tells CardLine today. Kranzley...

CITI CARDS WILL BEGIN A PILOT OF PAYPASS CARDS IN CANADA.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... Citi Cards Canada is issuing 5,000 Citi Petro-Points MasterCards with PayPass' contactless capability to a select number of Citi Petro-Points cardholders beginning tomorrow, a spokesperson for Citi Cards Canada, tells CardLine today. The...

VERIFONE SIGNS $5.8 MILLION CONTRACT WITH A MEXICAN BANK.
December 2, 2005... VeriFone Holdings Inc. reported today it received a $5.8 million contract to supply an unnamed Mexican bank with 19,000 electronic payment terminals. VeriFone will provide its Vx 510 countertop and Vx 610 portable terminals. San Jose, CA-based...

MANY CONSUMERS VIEW GIFT CARDS AS A MEANS TO STAY WITHIN THEIR BUDGETS.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... In a recent consumer survey conducted for MasterCard International, 78% of respondents said they sometimes or always exceed their holiday gift-giving budget. And 83% said they would be somewhat or much more likely to stay within their budget if...

CALIFORNIA DMV WILL ACCEPT PIN-BASED DEBIT CARDS.(Department of Motor Vehicles)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... The California Department of Motor Vehicles will accept PIN-based debit cards at 92 of its busiest field offices beginning in January, a DMV spokesperson tells CardLine today. "Some of the offices are accepting debit cards now, but all of them...

CEO: FIRST DATA IS FINANCIALLY STRONG.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... Henry C. "Ric" Duques, First Data Corp.'s new CEO, says that, despite the company's problems with its Card Issuing Services unit, First Data is a "financially strong company with a healthy balance sheet." Duques told analysts during a...

BRIEFS.(Affiliated Computer Services Inc.)(Neal Arnold to resign from Fifth Third Bancorp.)(GE Money Canada to issue credit card for Ben Moss Jewellers)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... Merchant processor TransFirst announced today it will provide credit card, debit card and ACH processing for the Government Solutions Group of Affiliated Computer Services Inc. Dallas-based ACS provides services to commercial and government...

CORRECTION.(Correction Notice)
December 2, 2005... Yesterday's article concerning First Data's consolidation of Concord EFS contained a number of errors. Star processing revenues shrank to $593.8 million, not $593.8 in the third quarter. Its revenues for last year's third quarter were $619.6...

METRIS SHAREHOLDERS APPROVE COMPANY'S PURCHASE BY HSBC.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... Metris shareholders today approved an HSBC Finance Corp. offer to buy the credit card issuer. The deal is expected to close tomorrow, after which Metris will become a wholly owned subsidiary of HSBC. More than 99% of Metris shareholders voted...

AMERICAN EXPRESS OFFERS HEALTH SAVINGS PAYMENT CARD.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... American Express Co. announced today it will issue a new health savings account (HSA) payment card linked to the largest health insurer in New York state. Beginning in early 2006, high-deductible health-plan customers of WellChoice Inc., the...

RBS LYNK WILL OFFER DEBITMAN ACCEPTANCE TO MERCHANTS.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... RBS Lynk, an Atlanta-based transaction processor with more than 100,000 merchant customers, today announced it will offer those clients the option to accept payments initiated with Debitman PIN-debit cards starting early next year. Ken Paull,...

KRG CAPITAL PARTNERS BUYS DEBT BUYER COLLECT AMERICA.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... KRG Capital Partners, a leveraged-buyout firm, yesterday announced the purchase of Collect America, a Denver-based collection agency and one of the largest debt buyers, for $350 million. Collect America ranks as the 11th-largest debt buyer,...

MORE BUSINESSES JOIN JCB'S QUICPAY PARADE.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... JCB Co. Ltd., Japan's largest issuer and merchant acquirer, today announced that three businesses have elected to join JCB's QUICPay contactless payment program. With QUICPay, part of a JCB cardholder's credit limit is assigned to a contactless...

JUKEBOX MANUFACTURER ADDS CARD READERS.( Rowe International Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... Rowe International, the manufacturer of 65% of the jukeboxes in the United States, has begun supporting credit card payments. The company is selling $199 upgrade kits to its customers, which enable them to equip their jukeboxes to accept Visa...

BRIEFS.(Jonathan Linen of American Express Co plans to retire)(Royal Bank of Canada: earnings)(GE Consumer Finance appoints Ray Duggins, Tom Gentile and Margaret Keane)
December 2, 2005... Jonathan Linen, vice chairman of American Express Co., this afternoon announced he will retire at the end of the year. Linen, 62, had at one time run AmEx's charge card and travel businesses....The Star electronic funds transfer network has...

CLARIFICATION.
December 2, 2005... The MasterCard International rule change referred to in yesterday's CardLine is not a change in the Quick Pay Service program that applies only in the United States and Canada. Rather it is a worldwide extension of the rule that applies only to...

METRIS CEO WESSELINK TO RETIRE.(David Wesselink)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... Metris Chairman and CEO David Wesselink plans to leave the company when its sale to HSBC Finance Corp. closes, Metris Senior Vice President of Investor Relations Jeff Grosklags confirms for CardLine. The close is expected to occur tomorrow....

AMEX TIES THE KNOT WITH TWO NEW CARDS FOR NEWLYWEDS AND ENGAGED COUPLES.(American Express Co.)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... American Express Co. has issued two new credit cards specifically for engaged and newlywed couples. The Knot Credit Card from American Express is the result of a partnership between AmEx and The Knot Inc., a media company that produces prom,...

HSBC CLOSES ON ITS PURCHASE OF METRIS.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... Matthew Melius, Metris Companies Inc.'s former executive vice president of operations, will take over marketing responsibility for the near-prime portfolio at HSBC Card Services, now that the sale of Metris to HSBC Finance Corp. is complete....

FOTE WILL RECEIVE $1.1 MILLION AS A FIRST DATA CONSULTANT.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... Charles T. Fote, whose resignation as First Data Corp's. CEO was announced Monday, will continue to receive his base salary of $1.1 million per year while he works as a consultant to First Data for the 18 months starting Jan. 1. He also will...

IKEA DEPLOYS KIOSKS FOR NEW CREDIT CARD PROGRAM.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... Swedish home-furnishings retailer Ikea today introduced self-service kiosks that enable customers to apply unassisted for the merchant's new proprietary credit card. GE Consumer Finance, a unit of General Electric Co., issues the card, which...

CITIBANK PERSONALIZES CONTACTLESS FOBS MANUALLY.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... Contactless payment chips can be embedded in many different form factors, but card-personalization equipment has been designed for, well, cards. New York-based Citibank, the first U.S. issuer to offer the tap-and-go MasterCard PayPass product...

FIRST DATA PROVIDES PREPAID CARD TO BURGER KING.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2005... First Data Prepaid Services' ValueLink today announced it will provide a prepaid card to Burger King Corp., which operates more than 11,000 restaurants in 50 states and more than 60 countries. Burger King is purchasing prepaid cards through...

BRIEFS.(DSW Inc's identity theft case settled)(Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reports fourth quater earnings)(Co-Op Network appoints Samantha Smyth and Leah Work)
December 2, 2005... DSW Inc., the shoe retailer victimized earlier this year by identity thieves, has agreed to beef up security as part of a settlement with Federal Trade Commission. Thieves stole credit, debit and checking account information from DSW that...

PAY BY TOUCH COMPLETES TWO ACQUISITIONS.
December 9, 2005... Pay By Touch, the San Francisco-based biometrics payments firm, today announced the completion of two acquisitions. Pay By Touch has purchased Capture Resource, a firm that specializes in customer loyalty programs in retail locations. Pay By...

VERIFONE REPORTS BIG GAINS IN NET INCOME, REVENUE.
December 9, 2005... VeriFone Holdings Inc., a San Jose, CA-based payment-terminal vendor, yesterday reported fourth-quarter net income of $12.1 million on net revenues of $130.5 million for the three months ended Oct. 31. This compares with net income of $2.8...

METRIS PAID DEPARTING EXECUTIVES $13.46 MILLION.(Metris Companies Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... Metris Companies Inc. agreed to pay seven departing senior executives roughly $13.46 million upon the completion of its sale to HSBC Finance Corp., according to a proxy statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Metris...

NEW BANKRUPTCY LAW SPARKS RECORD FILINGS.
December 9, 2005... Spurred by a new law, bankruptcy cases filed in federal courts soared to an all-time high in fiscal year 2005, jumping 10 percent, according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. In the 12-month period ending Sept. 30, individuals...

IRS SAYS PHISHING SCAM IS GOOD NEWS WRAPPED IN A BAD E-MAIL.(Internal Revenue Service)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... The Internal Revenue Service is warning consumers about an Internet "phishing" scam that tells taxpayers they are eligible for a federal tax refund. Consumers receive the good news in an e-mail that includes a form, which they are directed to...

ATM FEES SET NEW RECORD.(Automated teller machines)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... The fees imposed on accountholders withdrawing money from ATMs not owned by their banks have hit a record high, according to a study released yesterday by Bankrate.com, a North Palm Beach, FL, consultancy.The combined surcharge fee imposed by...

AFFINITY CARD INTRODUCES PREPAID DEBIT CARD.(Affinity Card Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... Affinity Card Systems Inc. has introduced Ethos, a Visa-branded prepaid debit card designed for employees without bank accounts or who regularly pay fees for overdrawing their checking accounts. The Ethos card program allows cardholders to have...

BRIEFS.(Commerciant LP)(Capital One Financial Corp.)(Transaction Network Services Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... Commerciant LP named Hubert Vaz-Nayak senior vice president of sales and marketing, and Marc Beauchamp vice president of indirect sales. Houston-based Commericiant is a processor of wireless handheld payment transactions.... Capital One...

BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD WANTS TO OPEN BANK FOR TAX-DEFERRED HEALTH ACCOUNTS.
December 9, 2005... The board of directors of Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association today agreed to develop a bank through which member plans may offer tax-deferred health care accounts to employees of their client companies. Blue HealthCare Bank would be...

RUSSIAN BANK TO ISSUE AMEX CHARGE CARDS.(Russian Standard Bank)(American Express Co.)
December 9, 2005... Russian Standard Bank, a Moscow-based financial institution that claims to be the fastest-growing consumer lender in Russia, has joined American Express Co.'s Global Network Services and has been given the franchise for all of Russia to issue...

TEXAS UNIVERSITY TO TEST BIOMETRICS PROGRAM.(University of North Texas, Sodexho USA)
December 9, 2005... The University of North Texas in Denton is working with the company that manages the school's retail food-services operations in a pilot to test a biometrics program, called iMye, which would alleviate the need for students and faculty to use...

RSB SECURITY AGREES TO BUY CYOTA.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... RSB Security Inc., the U.S.-based Internet security company, has agreed to buy Cyota Inc. for $145 million, the companies announced today. RSB says the deal for Cyota, a privately held New York City-based company, includes $136 million in cash...

MBNA CANADA, SONY LAUNCH COBRANDED CARD.(MBNA Canada Bank)(Sony of Canada Ltd.)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... MBNA Canada Bank has teamed with Sony of Canada Ltd to launch a cobranded MasterCard. The Sony Card credit card gives cardholders points every time they use it to make a purchase that can be exchanged for Sony products. Cardholders are awarded...

ERNEX SIGNS UP CHOCOLATE STORES FOR GIFT CARDS.(Purdy's Chocolates)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... Purdy's Chocolates, a Vancouver, British Columbia-based chocolate retailer, has rolled out gift cards from Ernex across all 51 of its stores in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. Ernex is the gift and loyalty card-issuing arm of Moneris...

BRIEFS.(American Express Co. division acquries license)(credit transaction processes grow)
December 9, 2005... American Express Co.'s Incentive Services division acquired the rights last month to license a patent allowing for the strategic creation of focused-use credit and debit cards. A focused-use card typically directs the cardholder to spend at a...

PURCHASE OF A TIE MEANS CLOSER TIES BETWEEN DISCOVER AND CHINA UNIONPAY.(Discover Financial Services Inc.)
December 9, 2005... Liu Tinghuan, chairman of China UnionPay, made history yesterday at Macy's Herald Square in New York City. Tinghuan used his China UnionPay debit card to buy a tie. A beaming Tinghuan held up the striped tie to applause and flashing camera...

PAY BY TOUCH AGREES TO BUY BIOPAY, ENDING THEIR FEUD.
December 9, 2005... Pay By Touch announced today it would buy biometric competitor BioPay LLC for $82 million in cash and stock, the latest move in a string of strategic actions this fall. BioPay claims two million enrolled consumers in 42 states, 1,600 retail...

PEPPERCOIN, MASTERCARD EXPLORING SMALL PAYMENTS DEAL.(MasterCard International Inc.)
December 9, 2005... MasterCard International and Peppercoin have signed a letter of intent to cooperate in promoting card use for small payments. Under the "anticipated alliance," which is still under formation, MasterCard could promote Peppercoin's...

PORTFOLIO RECOVERY ASSOCIATES RECEIVES $75 MILLION CREDIT LINE THANKS TO NEW BANKRUPTCY LAW.
December 9, 2005... Portfolio Recovery Associates Inc., one of six publicly held bad-debt buyers, closed on a $75 million bank credit line aimed at bracing the company for a surge in chargeoffs expected thanks to the bankruptcy law passed in October, company...

NYCE SAYS IT HAS SWITCHED 1 MILLION DEBIT TRANSACTIONS FROM CANADIAN VISITORS.(New York Cotton Exchange)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... The NYCE electronic funds transfer network says it has surpassed switching one million debit transactions by Canadian visitors to the U.S. since launching a program with Acxsys Corp., the technical backbone of Canada's PIN-debit system, in...

JCB HOPES IT SMELLS MONEY WITH THE LINDA SWEET CARD.(JCB Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... Will JCB's new Linda Sweet card have the sweet smell of success like its older sibling? JCB Co. Ltd., Japan's largest issuer with 55.14 million cardholders worldwide, will begin to find out in a few days. JCB says it will begin accepting a...

RSA SECURITY TO EXPAND INTO CONSUMER AUTHENTICATION WITH CYOTA.
December 9, 2005... RSA Security Inc., the U.S. Internet security company, says it is buying Cyota Inc. to strengthen its presence in the online consumer authentication market. Yesterday, RSA announced that it would pay $145 million for privately-held Cyota, which...

BRIEFS.(Hypercom Corp. partner with Axfood AB)(First Premier Bank partner with Diamond Financial Holdings Inc.)(E*TRADE Financial Corp. introduces maximizer card )(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... U.S. Bank and the United States Fencing Association have partnered to issue a free, co-branded Visa credit card.... Payment terminal maker Hypercom Corp. today announced that Axfood AB, a large Scandinavian food retailer, will install...

MASTERCARD WANTS INTERCHANGE JUDGE TO BOOT ONE OF THE MERCHANTS' LAW FIRMS.
December 9, 2005... MasterCard International's outside attorneys are seeking to disqualify one of the law firms representing merchants in the interchange lawsuits filed against the Purchase, NY, card association, CardLine has learned. In a letter to Judge John...

SANTA WILL BRING CARD ISSUERS MORE REVOLVERS.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... More individuals plan to use credit during the holidays, but few of them plan to repay their bills in full when they arrive in January compared with last year, according to Cambridge Consumer Credit Index, which measures consumer spending and...

REVOLVING CREDIT DECLINES IN OCTOBER.
December 9, 2005... The Federal Reserve this afternoon reported that revolving credit, which is mostly credit card debt, declined in October. Revolving credit in October was $798.9 billion compared with $800 billion in September and $795.2 billion in August, the...

BIG SMART CARD MERGER SPARKS CONCERNS.(Gemplus International S.A., Axalto)
December 9, 2005... The world's two biggest smart card companies say their merger will be good for customers, but the two French companies may have a hard time convincing regulators and smart card buyers. Gemplus International and Axalto, announced today in Paris...

BANKRUPTCY LAW PAYS DIVIDENDS FOR PORTFOLIO RECOVERY ASSOCIATES.
December 9, 2005... Debt buyer Portfolio Recovery Associates Inc.'s stock traded at $44.81 at midday today, after reaching a 52-week high of $46 yesterday. The strong showing this week comes after an analyst upgraded the company based on PRA's announcement Monday...

MERCHANT WANTS SAME RULES FOR ALL CARDS.(Visa U.S.A. Inc., MasterCard International Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... Visa U.S.A. and MasterCard International will soon have slightly different rules for under-$25 purchases, and at least one merchant wishes they wouldn't. Starting in April, Visa will allow merchants in 17 categories to dispense with a signature...

TURBOTAX OUTLINES ITS TAX AND SPEND PLAN.
December 9, 2005... Tax software firm TurboTax is offering consumers prepaid cards from major merchants in place of federal tax refunds. Some of the roughly 50 retailers participating in the TurboTax Refund Bonus program are offering bonus dollars in addition to...

FIRST CANADIAN RETAILERS OFFER INTERAC ONLINE.(Interac Association introduces online payments)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... The Interac Association, the Canadian debit card scheme, says seven Canadian retailers, non-profit organizations and charities are now accepting Internet payments on their Web sites by Interac Online. The new service allows Canadian consumers...

BRIEFS.(Nova Information Systems Inc. signs a agreement with City Bank of Lynnwood)(Diebold Inc. appoints Phillip R. Cox)(Rewards Network Inc. promotes Christopher J. Locke)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... Nova Information Systems Inc. has signed a merchant-processing agreement with City Bank of Lynnwood, WA. Nova, which is based in Atlanta, will provide credit card processing services, customer service and support operations to the bank's...

TOP TWO SMART CARD VENDORS PLAN MERGER.(Gemplus International S.A., Axalto)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... The two largest vendors of smart cards worldwide, Gemplus International and Axalto, today announced plans for a merger that would create an industry giant, commanding about half of the global market. The two France-based vendors say the merger...

UK SMART CARD COMPANY ENTERS AMERICAS VIA ACQUISITION.(Carle Place, Smart Commerce Inc., Aconite)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... Hoping to sell its smart card payment software to more banks in the Americas, UK-based Aconite has bought Carle Place NY-based consultancy and software firm Smart Commerce Inc, Aconite announced today. Aconite sells software that helps process...

ALLIANCE DATA WILL ISSUE COBRANDED MASTERCARD FOR SPIEGEL AND NEWPORT NEWS.(Newport News Inc., Spiegel Catalog Inc.)
December 9, 2005... Alliance Data Systems Corp. announced today that it has signed long-term agreements with catalog retailers Spiegel Catalog and Newport News to provide them with cobranded credit card programs. The agreements run until 2013. Alliance Data...

WILDFANG SAYS MASTERCARD'S ALLEGATIONS ARE UNFOUNDED.(K. Craig Wildfiang does not agree on ethical violations)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... K. Craig Wildfiang, a leading attorney for merchants in their lawsuits challenging the card associations' interchange policies, says MasterCard International's allegations accusing him of ethics violations are "totally unfounded." In a letter...

ATM OWNERS MOVING STEADILY TO STRONGER SECURITY.(Asynchronous transfer mode)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... Recent data shows that ATM owners are rapidly upgrading the security on their machines to the Triple Data Encryption Standard, but that they are moving more slowly in migrating from International Business Machine's old OS/2 operating system to...

B2B HAS POTENTIAL FOR CARD ISSUERS.(Business to business market)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... Pamela Joseph, CEO of Nova Information Systems, the Atlanta-based merchant processor, says there is a huge opportunity in business-to-business transactions for card issuers to build charge volume. "There is opportunity there, and again I think...

ECHO REPORTS 22% GAIN IN REVENUE.
December 9, 2005... Electronic Clearinghouse Inc., a Camarillo, CA-based provider of payment card and check transaction processing services for banks and merchants, yesterday reported a 22% increase in revenues for the fourth quarter ended Sept. 30, to $15.2...

BRIEFS.(Diners Club International Ltd.)(First Data Corp.)(Payment Data Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2005... Diners Club announced today the expansion of features on its Club Rewards program. The card-issuing subsidiary of Citigroup Inc. added Home Depot, Lowe's, Macy's, Restoration Hardware and Sears, Roebuck and Co. to its Winter Wonders catalog....

CORRECTIONS.(Correction Notice)
December 9, 2005... Today's CardLine incorrectly reported that Pay By Touch completed the purchase of CardSystems Solutions Inc. The purchase is scheduled for completion today, but the deal is still pending. The article also incorrectly referred to Capture...

FIRST DATA NAMES BAILIS PRESIDENT OF CARD ISSUING SERVICES.(David P. Bailis appointed)(Brief Article)
December 16, 2005... First Data Corp. this morning named David P. Bailis as president of the company's troubled Card Issuing Services unit. Bailis, who also was named First Data executive vice president, will report to First Data CEO Henry C. "Ric" Duques, who...

CAMPBELL IS LEAVING CHAIRMAN'S POST AT CHASE CARD SERVICES.(Bill Campbell to leave J.P. Morgan Chase and Co.)(Brief Article)
December 16, 2005... Bill Campbell, chairman of J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.'s Card Services unit, yesterday announced that he is stepping down as chairman to serve as a part-time advisor on a variety of issues to the financial institution's operating committee. The...

PAY BY TOUCH, NCR ANNOUNCE AN ALLIANCE.
December 16, 2005... Biometric provider Pay By Touch and NCR Corp. announced yesterday a global strategic alliance with several projects under way in the United States and the United Kingdom. The two are marketing NCR's point-of-sale checkout software with Pay By...

VOLUNTEER CHARGED WITH STEALING RED CROSS DEBIT CARDS MEANT FOR HURRICANE KATRINA VICTIMS.
December 16, 2005... A Red Cross volunteer has been charged with stealing Red Cross prepaid debit cards intended for Hurricane Katrina victims and with racking up nearly $250,000 in fraudulent charges using the cards. The volunteer, identified by federal...

ISSUERS SHOULD TAILOR MESSAGES CONCERNING BREACHES:.(data security breaches)(Brief Article)
December 16, 2005... Credit card issuers may want to consider different approaches to notifying consumers about different types of data security breaches instead of having one standard notice to deal with all such instances, says Tom Oscherwitz, director of...

TEXAS INSTRUMENTS DEVELOPS PAYPASS CHIP.(Brief Article)
December 16, 2005... Dallas-based semiconductor manufacturer Texas Instruments has developed a contactless smart card chip for MasterCard PayPass cards and devices, says Trevor Pavey, manger of the contactless commerce business in Texas Instruments' RFid Systems...

BRIEFS.(American Express Co. renews its contract with TRX Inc.)(Elan Financial Services purchases credit card portfolio)(Certegy Inc.'s Charles T. Doyle resigned)(Brief Article)
December 16, 2005... American Express Co. renewed its contract with travel transaction processor TRX Inc. for five years. TRX provides automated processing, online booking, data integration and other services to the AmEx Business Travel group. Terms of the deal...

CONSORTIUM AIMS TO SPEED CARDHOLDERS THROUGH AIRPORTS.
December 16, 2005... A consortium of five companies announced plans today to partner with a major credit card issuer to offer a card that will speed frequent travelers through airport security lanes. "Credit and travel go hand in hand," Tim Wudi, chief marketing...

AS CHRISTMAS NEARS, ONLINE CASH REGISTERS ARE RINGING MORE OFTEN.(Brief Article)
December 16, 2005... Consumers, avoiding hordes at the mall, spent $2.51 billion shopping online for Christmas gifts during the five days ending Dec. 9, ComScore Networks, an Internet audience measurement firm, said yesterday. This compares with $2.30 billion...