Kate Fitzgerald

U.S. Bancorp this week announced plans to offer employers what it says is the first product that consolidates multiple types of employer-sponsored health care benefits and reimbursements on a single payments card they can manage through the bank’s website.

The San Francisco online credit-tracking company said the average score for U.S. consumers was 670 in April, up a point from January.

Swipely.com, a new social networking website that broadcasts users' credit and debit card purchases, says its strong security features will help it avoid embarrassing data breaches such as the one Blippy.com suffered last month.

Discover Financial Services said Wednesday that Amalgamated Bank of Chicago has agreed to issue a credit card on its network designed for Joint Council Teamster local union members across the country.

The fast growth of social-networking sites containing users' personal information is drawing concern from some payment data-security experts who say the risk of exposing consumers' sensitive data is rising.

The economic downturn last year caused holders of American Express cards to slash spending in such key categories as electronics, apparel and travel.

MasterCard Worldwide has promoted Ajay Banga, president and chief operating officer, to chief executive officer, effective July 1. Banga also was named a member of MasterCard’s board of directors. Banga succeeds Joseph W. Selander, who will become executive vice chairman until his retirement on Dec. 31. MasterCard also promoted Alfredo Gangotena to chief marketing officer from global products and solution lead for MasterCard in Europe. Gangotena replaces Lawrence Flanagan, who is retiring.

MasterCard Worldwide absorbed a sharp downturn in U.S. consumer credit card purchase volume and total consumer credit card accounts in 2009 as the recession drove consumers to cut spending. But the company turned a healthy profit anyway, thanks to its success in other areas, including relatively strong international purchase volume.

Competition is intensifying among global commercial card providers, especially for several large U.S.-based issuers seeking growth in markets abroad.

Visa Inc. felt the effects of the global economic recession in 2009, as U.S. consumers transacted less on credit. But strong gains in Visa’s U.S. debit card volume during the year helped to offset the slowdown in credit card use, and the company’s overall profits soared.

Target Corp.'s decision to drop its cobranded Visa card is the strongest sign yet that merchants are re-evaluating the benefits of offering general-purpose credit cards.

Macy's Inc.'s decision to shift its cobranded credit cards to American Express Co. from Visa Inc. underscores the increasing competition among card networks and Amex's growth ambitions.

Citigroup Inc.’s ThankYou Network rewards program last week announced an Earth Day-themed promotion enabling its members to win free music downloads from Sony Music Entertainment.

Most consumers want issuers to contact them through multiple communication channels if the institutions suspect fraudulent activity on their debit or credit cards. But their preferred communication channel varies significantly by age group, suggest the results of a recent survey.

Macy's Inc. today announced that American Express Co. will replace Visa Inc. this fall as the card network supporting its Bloomingdale's and Macy's cobranded credit cards.

Visa Inc. has promoted Elizabeth Buse to group executive, international from global head of product. Jim McCarthy, previously senior sales executive for North America, succeeds Buse. Rupert Keeley, previously group president for several international regions, is leaving the company.

One of mobile payments’ lures for merchants may be the opportunity to deliver coupons, rewards and other customized marketing offers directly to consumers through mobile handsets at the point of sale. Wireless phones enabled with two-way Near Field Communication technology could ignite such marketing opportunities, experts believe.

Visa is trying to up the stakes in mobile text-message alerts by emphasizing the superior speed of its transaction-notification service compared with other such services.

The bill to overhaul the nation’s health care system the House of Representatives approved on March 21 is unlikely to derail growth of tax-deferred health savings accounts and associated debit cards, at least not immediately, experts say.

Alternative payment companies are trying to gain scale by joining forces with banks, electronic funds transfer networks and walk-in payment centers.