Bank technology

First Bank & Trust in Brookings, S.D., has agreed to buy a prepaid card portfolio from Inter National Bank in McAllen, Texas. First Bank did not disclose the price it will pay for the $21 million portfolio.

U.S. Bancorp released on Saturday a new mobile app designed for its prepaid customers.

In the past, bank investment aimed at gaining a proprietary edge through new methods of consumer payment has consistently been poorly rewarded. Expect another repeat.

Know where - and when - your bank's target audience goes online for information and social interaction. It’s better to have just two social media channels that are well-supported than five left unattended.

Some are in new roles, some taking their banks in new directions and others most definitely on the hot seat. All eyes will be on these chief executives in the year ahead.

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Security firm says it has vetted the threat of a Russian hacking scheme and found it to be real.

VeriFone is backing away from the direct-to-merchant sales strategy of its Square-competitor SAIL, no longer willing to play catch-up to Square's early jump on the market.

HSBC will undertake a review and correction of policies that could cost nearly $1 billion. It's already increased spending on anti-money-laundering technology 900%.

Shea to succeed Kurt Woetzel, who will run a global collateral services unit.

Rather than invest heavily in one big risky project, banks should concentrate on many small innovations, beta test them and invest where customer feedback is positive.

Capital Access Network's new online engine leverages a large historical database to measure credit worthiness, joining Kabbage, Amazon and others in a crowded market.

Two targets of the al Qassam Cyber Fighters Group are seeing unusual traffic on their websites.

Retail strategy firm Peak Performance Consulting has welcomed two former banking execs to its team.

The alternative payment provider Dwolla now gives users the ability to send money via tweet by using the hashtag #dwolla.

In functionality, mobile banking apps are movin' on up. Though recent research shows customers make little distinction between the leading financial services players' mobile apps and mobile browsers, new releases of the past week or so show that industry players are evolving their mobile offerings to go beyond basic features like checking account balances.

Pave adds a new twist to crowdsourcing capital. The New York-based startup funds people, rather than specific projects, and the interest rate depends on their future earned incomes.

Alliance Data Systems (ADS) has signed a long-term agreement to launch a private-label credit card program for clothing retailer Dots.

Bank notes printed with special ink change their appearance in the presence of a cell phone's magnetic field.

If U.S. banks can decrease costs in routine transactions, they will be able to serve mass segments more profitably and invest disproportionately in high-margin services for the affluent.