Technology

U.S. states with the greatest amount of outstanding consumer credit card debt roughly parallel those with the most population, but a few states buck that trend, according to new data Equifax Inc. released Jan. 24.

MasterCard Inc. confirmed that it is hiring Mung-Ki Woo as group executive for its mobile business.

Several issuers in the United Kingdom and Ireland recently announced plans to issue contactless cards usable at several major merchants. And while one observer says few consumers see the benefit of contactless payment, more European merchants, especially quick-service restaurants, have begun to accept contactless cards.

Fifth Third Processing Solutions LLC has signed up three new processing clients, the Cincinnati-based processor announced Jan. 24.

JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Chase Bank USA unit does not have to battle a slew of class-action lawsuits alleging it improperly increased credit cardholders’ interest rates, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Jan. 24.

More consumers late last year chose to spend more when dining out, especially in less expensive restaurants, a new report on fourth quarter restaurant spending suggests.

Safaricom Ltd., the largest mobile operator in Kenya, is working with U.S.-based payments provider PayPal Inc. on a platform to enable consumers to pay school fees directly to institutions’ bank accounts using their mobile phones, the companies announced earlier this month.

ElectraCard Services Pvt. Ltd., a payment processor based in India, is opening its first U.S. office in Omaha, Neb., the unit of Opus Software Solutions Pvt. Ltd. announced Jan. 24.

First Data Corp. has expanded its agreement with Warsaw, Poland-based Getin Noble Bank SA to include card-issuing and payment-processing services for the bank’s contactless card program, First Data announced Jan. 19.

As transaction volume for U.S.-based online merchants increased in 2010, so did the number of fraudulent attempts, which may mean merchants should reexamine their fraud-prevention systems to fend off potential attacks, new research suggests.