In Brief (four items)

Sears Extends Contract With Card Processor

COLUMBUS, Ga. - Sears, Roebuck and Co. has agreed to add a year to its long-term contract with Total System Services Inc., according to the Columbus, Ga., credit card processor.The contract now runs to 2010.

Total signed Sears as a client in 1998 and finished converting its 64 million retail cards to the Total platform in 1999. Total, which says it is the leading third-party retail processor, considers the extension an important vote of confidence.

Total also recently announced agreements to extend credit card processing contracts with Amsouth Bancorp. of Birmingham, Ala. and First Tennessee Bank of Memphis. Both banking companies took five-year extensions, to 2005. First Tennessee has 1.4 million consumer cardholder accounts. Amsouth's portfolio size was not disclosed.

Total recently named G. Wayne Clough to its board of directors. Mr. Clough is president of Georgia Institute of Technology. He has been honored for his teaching and research, and received seven national awards from the American Society of Civil Engineers. "We feel fortunate to be able to add someone of his stature to our board," said Richard W. Ussery, the chief executive officer and board chairman. "We believe that Dr. Clough's outstanding initiatives in technological research will prove to be invaluable to TSYS."


NCR Ad Campaign Touts New Data Tool

DAYTON, Ohio - NCR Corp. has kicked off a multimillion-dollar international advertising campaign for its data warehousing technology.The Dayton-based company, best known as a maker of automated teller machines, said the campaign spotlights its Teradata Active Data Warehouse. The technology enables retailers and banks to detect patterns in customer transactions. The analysis is geared to help companies tailor their offers to specific customer needs.

Ads in the "Do you know" campaign will appear on billboards, in newspapers, and on the Internet. The ads are scheduled to run in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Korea, Taiwan, and Japan.


Promotion Fills Post At Hypercom Unit

PHOENIX - Hypercom Corp. has promoted T.K. Cheung, vice president of product management, to president of Hypercom Network Systems.Mr. Cheung succeeds Paul Wallner and will report to George Wallner, president and chief executive officer of Hypercom.

Prior to joining the card terminal provider in 1991, Mr. Cheung worked for American Express for 13 years, most recently as a telecommunications network consultant.


First USA Plans Card For Engineers Group

WILMINGTON, Del. - Bank One Corp.'s First USA credit card division said it would start issuing affinity cards to members of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.The platinum Visa cards come with no annual fee and low annual interest rates, according to First USA. The program also includes a customized travel program for IEEE members and a professional student card program with special rates for student members.

Revenue from the credit card program will be used to support the IEEE, a not-for-profit organization which promotes technological innovation.

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
MORE FROM AMERICAN BANKER