Joe Bush

The use of mobile applications to help consumers pay for parking is growing, with three companies recently announcing expansions and new technology.

The prepaid card segment of Western Union Holdings Inc. was busy this month. The company's core business remains the transfer and reception of funds, but that is not a daily activity for most consumers.

Last year, Citi began processing check and automated clearing house transactions in order from the lowest dollar amount to the highest, a move that minimizes the potential for overdrafts. Today, it wants to make sure consumers — and perhaps regulators — haven't forgotten.

MasterCard launched a small-business spending portal that mimics the capabilities of big-business expense systems.

The Twitter account @NeedADebitCard shames people who post photos of their debit cards online — but as anti-fraud systems advance, how much danger is there from these photos?

Some tweaks to its travel-related fraud-protection strategies helped an Iowa credit union last year reduce its credit card charge-offs by 16%.

For a digital wallet to work, the merchant’s point-of-sale system should have the same applications as the phone supporting the wallet. To ensure that consistency, VeriFone says its Paymedia universal acceptance platform will make that connection regardless of wallet provider or mobile network.