Technology

Gallup's self-reported consumer spending measure showed encouraging signs in January, with consumers reporting daily spending averages similar to December's four-year high.

The prepaid card provider Plastyc Inc. has added a mobile remote deposit capture feature that provides instant access to funds.

It's shopping season in the payments industry. Just last month, Ingenico, ACI Worldwide and Fidelity National Information Services announced separate acquisitions. Many other companies have bought their peers in recent months.

Foreclosure activity last year decreased from 2010 - when foreclosures peaked in most markets - in 181 out of the 212 markets tracked in the report, according to RealtyTrac.

Data security provider iovation Inc. has released two-factor phone authentication software it says will provide extra protection for consumers making online purchases.

Consumers Union, the public policy and advocacy arm of Consumer Reports, called on federal regulators Wednesday to "protect vulnerable consumers from abusive debt collection practices."

Boston-based independent sales organization Merchant Warehouse is launching its Genius payment acceptance product for general availability. The system has been in testing since June 2012.

The council announced Jan. 31 its guidelines for e-commerce data safety. The information is a result of research completed by the council's e-commerce security special interest group.

American Express Co. finds itself swirling in the middle of anti-trust litigation and proposed settlements that the company isn't directly a party to.

Consumer confidence dropped in January to its lowest mark in more than a year, a result of higher Social Security taxes that left Americans with less take-home pay, according to The Conference Board.