Merchant

First Data is under pressure on a several fronts. While tasked with easing its debt, the Atlanta-based processor is also responding to the many disruptions brought by mobile technology and other innovations.

A federal judge has frozen the assets of an operation that swindled Spanish-speaking consumers across the U.S. by routinely sending unordered or defective products and then making it difficult, impossible or costly for consumers to obtain relief.

A former employee of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity won a whistleblower lawsuit against the state. The case involved wrongly reporting residents to collection agencies.

Oracle Corp. agreed to buy Micros Systems Inc. for $5.3 billion as Chief Executive Officer Larry Ellison seeks to reignite slowing growth by adding software for hotels and restaurants.

Legal Helpers Debt Resolution LLC has agreed to settle charges it violated West Virginia consumer protection laws by misrepresenting to consumers that its lawyers could offer debt relief in the state.

While rent represents the biggest expense each month for many consumers, the payments rarely are reported to credit bureaus, meaning they don't help people improve their credit scores.

Independent Resource Network Corp., a Westbury, N.Y.-based independent sales organization, recently agreed to pay $400,000 and waived its right to funds in a merchant's reserve account to settle a civil suit brought by the Federal Trade Commission.

With 23 collection agencies working on the U.S. Department of Education's student loan collection contract, and the overall market for higher education debt booming, at least one private equity giant is considering whether to acquire collection agencies involved in the growing niche.

Vend will integrate its payment system with QuickBooks Online, making it the second point of sale company this week (along with Flint) to tout a link to Intuit's accounting software.

Higher-education collection agency ConServe, regularly named a top performing company by the U.S. Department of Education, is expanding in Western New York.