Merchant

Federal prosecutors are seeking to seize hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Concord, N.C.-based debt collection company accused of using unfair and fraudulent practices.

Hospitals in Minnesota saw a 6% drop in uncompensated care in 2014, a trend state health officials attribute to more people having health insurance. But the news wasn't as favorable for bad debt.

The government appears to be speeding toward establishing uniform standards for student loan servicers in light of reports of pervasive problems in the administration of both private and federal loans.

The CFPB has released a report outlining widespread servicing failures reported by both federal and private student loan borrowers. Consumers describe companies using various sloppy, patchwork practices that create obstacles to repayment, raise costs and contribute to further harming struggling borrowers.

When major card networks revealed the EMV chip card liability shift timeline four years ago, the Merchant Advisory Group was quick to make its stance clear: A conversion to chip cards won't mean a thing without a PIN authorization to go with it.

After plenty of grumbling, the U.S. financial industry has finally begun the slow trundle toward faster payments for all. Same-day payments were approved by members of the industry group Nacha in May, approved by the Federal Reserve earlier this month, and will begin going into effect in September 2016.

Klarna—a receive-now pay-later company—has added American Express to its supported payment methods in Sweden, Finland, Germany and the United States, as of Thursday, the company announced.

A new study indicates that careful evaluation of the current regulatory environment is necessary to ensure that the debt collection and debt buying industries are allowed to fulfill their role in the U.S. economy.

The Alibaba Group is pouring more money into Indian payments powerhouse Paytm, with one report putting the investment at the equivalent of about $680 million, giving Alibaba control of 20% of Paytm's parent company, One97 Communications.

Some critics argue that it's a bad idea to introduce chip cards without PIN requirements. But this debate is a distraction from the payments industry's robust and multifaceted efforts to fight cybercrime.