Burney Simpson

Hot 'Lanta is burning up the card industry, with Global, TSYS, Certegy and Nova scoring contract coups, buying vendors and expanding worldwide. In this profile, CCM assesses the Georgia quartet's strategies and prospects.

The presidential campaign of 2004 promises to cost more than any election in history, with the two major candidates combined spending over $500 million.

The presidential election of 2004 promises to be one of the tightest contests since ... well, since 2000, when the U.S. Supreme Court stepped in to name George W. Bush winner of Florida's electoral votes, which made him president.

The huge rise in debt of American consumers has spurred the growth of the debt-buying industry, along with a growing interest in these firms from Wall Street investors.

When it comes to the Web, credit cards were in the right place at the right time. Credit has been the perfect payment form for a merchant model that exists on a computer and demands a guaranteed payment from nearly anywhere on Earth.

It used to be pretty easy for the folks in the marketing cubicles. Roll out a rewards program tied to airline miles, watch cardholders scramble to earn points, then count your returns because so few cardholders redeemed their miles.

Europe is drawing investors as the European Union expands east and changing market conditions force banks to consider outsourcing their transaction-processing operations.

The travails of the credit-counseling industry worsened in March when a U.S. Senate committee heard testimony of classic boiler-room style operations at several major agencies. Within a month, two states filed separate civil suits against one of the firms, charging unfair and deceptive practices.

As collections agencies try all manner of rewards to keep collectors, the industry looks to new tests to glean the best prospects.

For retail cards, 2003 may be remembered by industry historians as a turning point. The Big Daddy of store card programs sold its portfolio, merchants and consumers opted for cobranded cards, and gift cards moved into the front row of payment options.

American Express Co. devoted much of its efforts last year to foundation building that it believes should pay off in 2005. Not that 2003 was slow or that 2004 is looking weak, according to Kenneth I. Chenault, AmEx chief executive.

It's spring time. Flowers are in bloom, love is in the air, and credit card interchange is on the rise.

Could this be the year of the PIN?

Merchants are willing to spend on new point-of-sale technology, especially for PIN-based debit and check electronification. But what about the real high-tech stuff?

The credit-counseling industry faces state and federal scrutiny at the same time that Citigroup introduces more revenue uncertainty with a new compensation plan.

It's a new year, time for a fresh start. Let's get down to business. What are the growing payment areas for merchant acquirers? That question is already being answered by aggressive acquirers that have begun claiming their turf in several intriguing fields.

Cell phones, biometrics, prepaid cards, PayPal, microtransactions-these and other new options are the wave of the payments future. But will all of them gain critical mass?

It's been a year of huge news for retail credit.

With more than 48 million consumers enrolled in the national do-not-call list, card issuers may lead a mini-revolution in direct-mail campaigns and other marketing efforts.

Commercial card issuers and processors are offering new products and services, many Web-based, to exploit transaction data that can be gathered with cards. But are they enough to capture more payment share?