Merchant

Total System Services Inc., or TSYS, for the first time is extending health care payment services to Puerto Rico through an arrangement with Paytech Corp., a Puerto Rico-based e-commerce transaction processor, the two companies announced Jan. 13.

The problem with PCI is that its focus is on protecting acquirer and issuer cardholder data when outside any merchant it is so easy to skim a card or steal cardholder data and then commit fraud.

ISOs working with Global Payments Inc. will play a role in determining the effects of a proposed 12-cent cap on debit transactions imposed by the Federal Reserve Board on the Atlanta-based payments processor, Global Payments said last week during a conference call to discuss its fiscal second quarter results.

Visa Inc. says it plans to implement a dual interchange schedule for issuing banks and credit unions in the wake of debit interchange regulation.

Total System Services Inc., or TSYS, has moved quicker than it originally anticipated in acquiring First National Bank of Omaha’s stake in First National Merchant Solutions LLC.

United Bank Card Inc. is making its Harbortouch point-of-sale system available for free to merchants that continue to use the company to process their payment card transactions, the Hampton, N.J.-based ISO announced Jan. 3.

VeriFone Systems Inc. confirmed its plans to spin off Hypercom Corp.’s U.S business after its planned merger is completed in the second half of this year, according to regulatory filing Wednesday.

Compliance with Payment Card Industry data-security standards is a top concern among smaller merchants, but many remain unaware of the scope of their potential liability regarding data breaches and are unclear on specific requirements, new survey data released Jan. 12 suggest.

North American Bancard will use Partner Commerce Inc.’s advertising network to find prospective merchants to help drive account growth, the Troy, Mich.-based independent sales organization announced Jan. 6.

A total of 3,825,637 foreclosure filings — including default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions — were reported on a record 2,871,891 U.S. properties in 2010, an increase of nearly 2% from 2009 and an increase of 23% from 2008, according to RealtyTrac, an online marketplace for foreclosure properties, in its Year-End 2010 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report released Thursday.