Merchant

For some time now, restaurant chains have been adding mobile order-ahead options, betting they’d be popular with their customers. But even they were caught off guard with just how big of a hit the technology is turning out to be.

Thousands of U.S. merchants are still holding out against EMV because they see no immediate threat from counterfeit card fraud, and business goes on. But a less obvious change in payment card acceptance may finally force them to upgrade.

When e-commerce fraud spikes, it can be tempting for merchants to pile on more controls and risk turning away otherwise legitimate transactions that appear to be fraudulent. The alternative is often to shut off these controls altogether and leave themselves vulnerable to criminals.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. Comments are excerpted from reader response sections of AmericanBanker.com articles and our social media platforms.

The EMV migration has caused fraud to migrate to other channels. Issuers can make consumers aware of this threat and give them a handful of steps to spot trouble.

More everyday products are becoming connected devices, including refrigerators, washing machines and even mirrors. As each household item evolves, companies are eager to transform them into channels for shopping.

Chatter about bank-nonbank combinations pops up frequently, as it did in a low-profile way this week, but there are reasons you should be skeptical even in these anything-could-happen times.

Buying clothes can be a tedious process of waiting in lines to get into the dressing room, and then waiting in line again to make a purchase. As it turns out, eliminating the second half of this process can also reduce the first half.

The EMV migration has caused fraud to migrate to other channels. Issuers can make consumers aware of this threat and give them a handful of steps to spot trouble.

After recording a $35.9 million quarterly loss, the online small-business lender said that it plans to reduce its annual expenses by $20 million, cut 11% of its staff and more than double its loan-loss provision from a year earlier.