Bank technology

As the Federal Reserve banks accelerate their planned reduction of check processing services, several companies are stepping up their own operations in an effort to capture banks' remaining check volume.

Southside Bank of Tyler, Tex., is planning to install a new core processing application from Jack Henry & Associates Inc.

The Avon, Conn., data processing cooperative COCC has formed an "on-we" image exchange partnership with Eastern Bank Corp. of Boston.

EBay Inc. says its approach to e-commerce, which has made it a powerhouse in Internet auctions and online payments, can be just as successful in microlending.

With a pair of recent alliances, the archiver eGistics Inc. is moving to make itself not only a manager of document images and data, but also a provider of services to help banks and other payment processors use their lockbox operations to help their corporate clients electronify and automate their receivables operations.

Northern Trust Corp. said it has added "Web 2.0" features to its Internet site in conjunction with a redesign.

BB&T Corp. has begun to use the check image network of Endpoint Exchange LLC, a unit of Metavante Technologies Inc. of Milwaukee.

Nacha, the electronic payments association, is developing a database of abusive automated clearing house originators and is sharing it with member banks, though concerns about risks — to members' reputations and their bottom lines — are making banks cautious about sharing too much about their dealings with third parties.

The number of banking brands impersonated by phishing e-mails hit an all-time high of 225 in March, RSA Security Inc. reported.

Fidelity National Information Services Inc.'s board has authorized another $250 million share repurchase program.

Shares of VeriFone Holdings Inc. dipped slightly last week despite a report predicting growth for the San Jose terminal company.

The table lists daily composite stock prices at 4 PM (unless otherwise noted) as measured by market capitalization.

Diebold Inc. said last week that it expects to issue at month's end a preliminary revenue estimate for the first quarter.

SunTrust Banks Inc. said it is outsourcing some paper-processing operations to Symcor Inc. and transferring several properties and employees to the Toronto vendor to support the work.

In a brutally competitive environment, lending decisions are no longer merely about making an approve/decline decision. Rather, lenders must ensure loans can be approved and serviced quickly and accurately to ensure they are profitable.

eBay Inc. said its payments unit, PayPal Inc., is growing faster off its auction site than it is onsite.

While bankers are exiting the student lending market, a person-to-person loan facilitator is taking a run at the niche.