Merchant

U.S. consumers and businesses likely increased spending in November, a possible sign that the economy began gaining strength at the end of last year, according to recent forecasts from economists.

U.S. online sales volume reached a record $32.6 billion during the 2010 holiday shopping season, up 12% from $29.1 million during the corresponding period a year earlier, according to data comScore Inc. released Jan. 5. ComScore’s data reflect e-commerce sales during the period from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31.

Taiwan on Jan. 1 began taking initial steps toward creating an integrated transit-payment system by introducing multicard readers on Taipei’s bus network, according to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.

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 independent sales organization announced Jan. 3.

The number of U.S. consumers who filed for bankruptcy in 2010 topped 1.5 million last year, up 9% compared with 2009 as high long-term jobless rates and depressed home prices drove more households to seek court protection, according to both the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) and the National Bankruptcy Research Center.

VeriFone Systems Inc. has completed its acquisition of Gemalto N.V.’s point-of-sale terminal business, VeriFone announced Jan. 3.

PayPal Inc. this year will set up its first foreign currency settlement platform in Chongqing, China, along with five international e-commerce centers under an agreement the unit of eBay Inc. signed with the Chongqing Municipal Government on Dec. 28.

Asset Acceptance Capital Corp., a buyer and collector of charged-off consumer debt, announced that it will close its Cleveland collections office. The closing is expected to reduce the company’s operating expenses by approximately $3 million per year, according to a company statement.

An estimated 510 different collection agencies and creditors were sued under consumer statutes between Dec. 1-15, a jump from 428 in the second half of November, according to data from U.S. District Courts.

The FBI has raided a Dallas server farm that housed computers used to launch Internet attacks against PayPal Inc., according to an affidavit posted by TheSmokingGun.com.