It's that time of the year again. We find ourselves making our lists and checking them twice. As December draws to an end and we look forward to what's coming in 2012, it's time to spread some holiday cheer by sharing what's on the wish list of the nation's more than 150,000 collectors.

About 80 million mobile phones are expected to ship with built-in near-field communication technology that can be used to transmit payment information between devices.

Discover Financial Services posted strong gains in the fourth quarter ending Nov. 30, as it continues to grow its total loans and expand its presence in private student lending.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — NCUA announced this afternoon it awarded CO-OP Financial Services, the credit union-owned payments company, the right to acquire the assets of U.S. Central's Corporate Network eCom, the failed corporate’s online and mobile payments services.

Webster Financial Corp. in Waterbury, Conn., has promoted Chief Operating Officer Gerald P. Plush to president of the company and its Webster Bank subsidiary, effective immediately.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. has made two changes to the leadership of its consumer and business banking unit, according to an internal memo obtained by American Banker on Thursday.

Legislation in the Senate could be key for small banks to deregister from the SEC.

S.Y. Bancorp Inc. in Louisville, Ky., is looking to expand in the Indianapolis market.

A lawsuit brought by a group of retail associations and retailers against the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System asks the courts to find the board's rules to implement the debit card swipe fee requirements of the Durbin amendment to be "arbitrary, capricious and an abuse of discretion."

The bank's core overhaul touches almost every area of the bank, from security to CRM to mobile.

Banks have been much maligned for nickel-and-diming their customers, but in another area — cardholder fraud protections — they are being praised as consumer champions.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will begin taking tips from whistleblowers about violations of federal consumer financial laws.

The board of Capital City Bank Group Inc. in Tallahassee, Fla., has suspended its common stock dividend.

Ailing Palmetto Bancshares Inc. in Greenville, S.C., will shutter more branches and eliminate more jobs as it struggles to return to profitability.

Citigroup Inc., having recommitted to the retailer credit card business it tried in vain to sell, has signed a new deal with Ford Motor Co.

Little noticed was the fact that the recent ViewPoint agreement to buy Highlands Bancshares was one of the pricier deals in months. However, it's probably an exception to the rule.

Morgan Stanley plans to eliminate 1,600 positions across the company early next year as it joins the chorus of financial firms cutting jobs due to poor business conditions.

Park National Corp. in Newark, Ohio, warned in a regulatory filing Wednesday that its 2011 loan-loss provision will be higher than anticipated after regulators said its Vision Bank unit improperly accounted for guarantor-support loans.

The bank's announcement that it will adopt an easy-to-read disclosure form for checking account fees draws applause from Senate Democrats.

Someday there may no longer be such a thing as an alternative payment.This year, there have been several acquisitions or product changes that take alternatives and combined them with a company or product that handles payments in person.