Bank technology

New stress-testing applications intended to help banks develop more detailed diagnoses of potential problems in their commercial real estate portfolios are finding customers.

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Gemalto NV of Amsterdam has bought the Versailles, France, digital security provider Trusted Logic.

Newest scammer target: payday lenders; money mules "hurting" the business of online scammers; email hacking is now outsourced as well; and more.

Banks must be open to new levels of innovation that will enable them to surpass customer expectations, achieve differentiation, grow strategically and manage risks, while reducing costs and complying with dynamic regulations.

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Consumers are expected to spend at least $30 billion in 2012 using mobile devices equipped with use near-field communication technology, up from a projected $8 billion this year, according to a report issued last week by Juniper Research.

Fidelity National Information Services Inc. expects to complete its purchase of Metavante Technologies Inc. by Oct. 1 now that the vendors have cleared the final hurdles to their $2.94 billion deal.

The eBillme payment service now allows people to pay for online purchases at walk-in locations, inviting the unbanked to use a system that until now has targeted online banking customers.

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RBS Worldpay said Arsenal would provide its merchant clients with the questionnaires and vulnerability scans they are required to complete under the PCI standard.

SunGard Data Systems Inc. announced that the professional business bank Bridge Bank, a unit of the $829 million-asset Bridge Capital Holdings of San Jose, has begun processing transactions using SunGard's hosted Sierra system for foreign exchange trading and accounting.

But according to one analyst, turning phones into payment tools will largely cannibalize existing card transactions, and much of the incremental gains will be eaten up by the costs of developing the technology and getting it into consumers' hands.

Smarty Pig LLC's most recent update not only speeds the process of moving money into its savings accounts, but also could hasten the day it needs a new, larger bank partner in the United States.

Planet Payment Inc. has announced a merchant pilot test for its ShopByVoice mobile-commerce product.

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Western Union Co. says its new foreign exchange unit could open doors into new markets though the purchase is unlikely to have any quick impact on its bottom line.

Conficker bug refuses to die; wifi networks less secure than ever?; laptops appear at government agencies; WP tech editor the target of a worm; and more.

This borders on invoking Murphy's Law: Most community banks haven't yet rolled out mobile banking, yet these institutions are the most likely to be hit by smishing, an emerging security risk that targets the mobile channel. And tech weapons have only limited powers to stop it.

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