Merchant

Even with an economy that has slowed to a "moderate" pace, American Express says U.S. consumers' spending trends remained solid and, in the case of Amex cardholders, they are willing to pay fees for cards that come with the right features.

As budget questions loom over the most popular Small Business Administration loans, lenders have embraced the previously overshadowed 504 program after a key policy tweak.

While executives at the Buffalo, N.Y., bank said they would take a closer look at spending, especially given the potential for interest rate cuts, they described investments in tech talent as an essential cost of doing business.

The company, which announced the conclusion of a three-year-old credit card partnership with TD Bank, is shifting to digital financing of individual consumer purchases.

For ISOs, it's hard to watch someone else deliver payment services in their place.

Optimizing web sites to be able to accommodate more traffic must be a long-term goal, not only the special days, writes Lex Boost, CEO of Leaseweb USA.

Transit systems are attracting contactless payment technology, but there are other options on the horizon that could make boarding easier than tapping a card or smartphone — provided riders are comfortable with an experience like something out of Minority Report.

Artificial intelligence software could even be used to analyze and score credit transactions as is done for banking transactions, writes Monica Eaton-Cardone, COO of Chargebacks 911 and CIO of its parent company Global Risk Technologies.

In immediate, unrestricted availability of funds, the only true providers are those networks operated by banks or other financial institutions, writes Jack Baldwin, CEO of Baldwin Hackett & Meeks.

The bank has been slashing expenses, but executives acknowledged they remain high. Between having to hire thousands of compliance employees and waiting on the next CEO to be named, investments in new technology or other long-term growth are limited.