Technology

Starbucks Corp.’s ability to integrate its closed-loop prepaid card with a loyalty program has helped drive customer usage of the company’s smartphone application to make mobile payments, notes one industry observer.

The trend of U.S. credit cardholders putting credit card payments ahead of mortgage payments that began in early 2008 shows no sign of abating in the immediate future even as the economy gradually improves, a team of TransUnion LLC analysts contends.

Meriwest Credit Union of San Jose, Calif., will use VSoft Corp.’s technology for remote deposit capture in branches and at ATMs, the vendor announced Dec. 6.

As it charts its course in mobile banking, Ameriana Bank faces competition in its eastern Indiana footprint from much larger banks that have been offering mobile banking for years, such as JPMorgan Chase & Co. and PNC Financial Services Group Inc.

A new task force formed by several government agencies, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), will work to combat scams aimed at homeowners seeking to apply for the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP).

MFoundry Inc. has received $18 million in growth capital, the mobile banking technology provider announced Dec. 5.

USA Technologies Inc. has appointed a board member, Stephen P. Herbert, as its chief executive and chairman, the banking-technology vendor announced Dec. 5.

PhoneFactor Inc. has added a smartphone application to its suite of out-of-band security products, the company announced Dec. 5. But its effectiveness will depend on user participation, one observer contends.

More banks and credit unions are considering getting back into credit card issuing after selling their portfolios over the past four to seven years, but their reasons for doing so vary, notes Tim Kolk, owner of TRK Advisors, a Peterborough, N.H.-based provider of portfolio-consulting services.

The average U.S. consumer credit card charge-off rate declined again in October as more consumers met their monthly payment-due dates and the delinquency rate on late payments held steady, according to the latest data from Moody’s Investors Service.