Merchant

Justice Department lawyers say a former government informant convicted of hacking into TJX and more than a dozen other leading retailers was never authorized by the U.S. Secret Service, which was employing him as an undercover informant, to steal data on more than 150 million credit card accounts.

VeriFone Systems Inc. has completed the acquisition of Point, Northern Europe’s largest provider of payment and gateway services for retailers, the terminal maker announced Jan. 3.

China UnionPay is expanding where holders of its branded cards may shop to include more than 8 million online merchants based overseas, the card network announced Dec. 27.

The recent discovery of payment-terminal tampering at 24 outlets of California’s Lucky Supermarkets chain is raising fresh questions about the possible role of insiders in such highly coordinated crimes.

In a trend that gained strength the past year, payments and fraud-protection software and hardware providers continue to view Latin America as a land of opportunity.

Verizon Wireless plans next month to impose a $2 fee for every payment subscribers make over the phone or online with their credit cards, the telecommunication company announced Dec. 30.

Discovering at checkout that an online merchant does not accept a preferred payment method often prompts consumers to discontinue their purchase. To help retailers keep the transaction process intact, one vendor has launched a payments “hub” merchants may use that consolidates most of the available online-payment options.

Security managers guarding bank account, credit and debit card data should take protective measures up a notch in 2012, new research suggests. Perhaps even two notches.

China UnionPay has signed an agreement with BesTV Network Television Technology Development Co. Ltd. to support bill payments initiated on consumers’ televisions. But it faces a market that is becoming less reliant on TV for information.

Zil Bareisis knows all too well why the British government is considering a ban on credit card surcharges that shock consumers purchasing tickets or products online.