Bank technology

Consumer use of the Internet for financial activities is driving up automated clearing house volume.

John H. Harland Co. posted solid first-quarter earnings and said an acquisition last year had partly offset an industrywide slowdown in the use of paper checks.

In response to pressure from an investment group that holds nearly 10% of its shares, S1 Corp. appears to have dropped its resistance to a sale, and has agreed to add a member of the group to its board.

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After warning analysts in March to expect a break-even quarter, Open Solutions Inc. surprised Wall Street Tuesday by reporting first-quarter earnings of 21 cents a share, 50% better than a year earlier.

Carreker Corp., which has struggled to cash in on the growth in check imaging, plans to build consulting and other parts of its business and to market to industries outside banking, its chairman said.

The remote capture of digital check images is moving beyond the big banks that first offered it to smaller institutions.

More powerful consumer online banking services, including some of the advanced cash management features commonly offered to businesses, are proving their worth, banks and vendors say, by making their users more valuable and more loyal.

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Grupo Financiero Banorte of Monterrey, Mexico, is extending its reach in the U.S. remittance market.

Banks' interest in strong authentication technology is also driving sales of online banking software.

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Two months after setting itself up as a holding company with majority ownership in two publicly traded companies, Fidelity National Financial Inc. is tearing the structure down.

A recent acquisition and an ongoing customer conversion project helped drive up CheckFree Corp.’s earnings in its fiscal third quarter, which ended March 31.

Deluxe Corp., the No. 1 check-printing company, said first-quarter income plunged as individuals and companies further reduced their use of checks.

Fiserv Inc.’s chief executive may be considering changing the banking technology and outsourcing provider’s acquisition and integration strategy.