BOSTON, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The Merchant's Guide, LLC
(
www.TheMerchantsGuide.com
) noted today that congressional interest in
regulating the fees credit card associations like Visa(R) and MasterCard(R)
charge merchants has significantly increased the number of publications it is
selling.
The proposed antitrust law, now known as H.R. 5546 or "The Credit Card
Fair Fee Act" would virtually strip the Associations of their ability to
mandate merchant Interchange rates. Interchange rates generally represent the
lion's share of the fees merchants pay when consumers use credit and debit
cards to buy products. The proposed law would require the Associations to
negotiate with merchants, potentially under court supervision.
According to Michael E. Shatz, publisher of Understanding Credit Card
Interchange Fees in Card-Not-Present Environments, "The stakes are high, and
supporters and opponents alike want to be sure that they understand the
constructs and financial mathematics behind the ubiquitous Interchange rates."
In Shatz's opinion, "Many pundits say that this bill is dead-on-arrival.
Every once and a while, though, Congress serves up a surprise. What's more, I
suspect that Congress is not necessarily happy with the banking industry these
days. Between card-issuer fee policies and the mortgage crisis, Congress might
just act with a certain amount of prejudice. This bill has made it out of
House Committee. There, the pundits were wrong."
A credit card industry veteran, Shatz doesn't necessarily agree with the
provisions of the legislation. He is agreeable, however, with its effects on
book sales. Says Shatz, "We are a boutique publisher, so we are pleased with
the noteworthy up-tick in sales this bill has provided. The breadth of our
readership is also increasing. The book, primarily sold to merchants, has
started to become popular with payment processors, lawyers and even
lobbyists." Focusing on Card-Not-Present transactions, Understanding
Interchange develops a foundation for understanding all interchange rates.
About The Merchant's Guide:
The Merchant's Guide, LLC provides merchants accepting electronic payments
with methods to lower fees and improve revenues by offering in-depth training
guides, payment operations audits and professional guidance. The firm
specializes in serving merchants who accept payments using
Customer-Not-Present models including electronic commerce, mail order,
telephone order, catalogs, multi-channel, continuity programs and direct
response media.
SOURCE The Merchant's Guide, LLC
CONTACT: Nancy Cohen of The Merchant's Guide, LLC, +1-508-485-5666,
release@themerchantsguide.com
