Merchant

Advent International and Bain Capital have completed their acquisition of a majority interest in RBS WorldPay, the payment-processing arm of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC, the two private equity firms announced Dec. 1.

Electronic Payment Systems LLC, a Denver-based ISO, owns a toll-free number used by approximately 515,000 merchants processing with TSYS Acquiring Solutions, a federal judge ruled last month.

After piloting an online payment network that it says guards against potential identity theft, JetPay LLC will be providing that same platform, Secure Vault Payments, to its own clients.

Foreclosure homes accounted for 25% of all residential sales in the third quarter ended Sept. 30 and the average sales price of properties sold in some stage of foreclosure was more than 32% below the average sales price of properties not in the foreclosure process.

Independent sales organizations and merchant acquirers wondering what steps they should take as VeriFone Systems Inc. prepares to buy Hypercom Corp., its chief U.S. rival in the point-of-sale terminal market, should remain patient, observers suggest.

Roam Data is making available a Roampay Swipe card reader that plugs into the audio jack of BlackBerry smartphones, the Boston-based firm announced Nov. 30.

The total number of consumer statute lawsuits filed in the Nov. 1-15 period soared to 558, up from 503 in the previous two-week period and 497 in the first half of October, according to data from U.S. District Courts.

Nontraditional opportunities such as mobile-based marketing, group coupons and merchant-funded rewards programs are providing new ways for merchant acquirers to help retailers increase consumer spending and traffic, a recently released report suggests.

The Federal Trade Commission reached settlements late last week to permanently shut down a Web site that allegedly deceptively touted free government grants for personal expenses or paying off debt.

West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw's office is seeking $3.9 million from a payday loan lender for making and collecting payday loans in violation of a court order, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.