Bank technology

One drawback with most envelope-free automated teller machines is that checks and cash have to be deposited separately, but that could soon change for customers of Fifth Third Bank (FITB).

The mobile payments venture Isis has already signed some major banking companies to its smartphone-based payment system. Its newly announced merchant roster likewise features big-name participants.

Yahoo has dipped a toe into the banking and payments waters several times over the years. With the departure of CEO Scott Thompson, it may be back to the drawing board.

Microsoft's new reference model for financial services offers more than just technology advice.

Virtual currency is prevalent in gaming, where users can deploy credits to continue using favorite social games or to buy virtual goods and powerups. But that's likely just the start. According to several market reports, virtual commerce is a $2.2 billion industry that's projected to grow to a whopping $6 billion in fewer than five years.

Banks want to use more data, particularly social media and other behavioral data, as part of risk and marketing. But that requires an upgrade of scoring systems, traditionally a time-consuming process with a large learning curve. Tech providers are competing with new systems that speed these development cycles and migrate more data crunching power to the user level.

The abrupt end of Scott Thompson's short term as CEO of Yahoo calls the company's payments plans into question.

Dwolla's CEO, Ben Milne, explains how his company's alternative payment system affects incumbents in banking and payments.

Less than a third of U.S. consumers have used their phones to make payments, compared to two thirds of consumers in China, according to a report published Monday by Aite Group and ACI Worldwide.

Fundtech announced the launch of a product Monday that will help banks deal with liquidity issues stemming from regulations including Basel III.

Former PayPal president Scott Thompson has left Yahoo, which he has led as CEO since January.

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The pace of consolidation among financial technology firms is likely to pick up as more and more banks look to trim overhead by combining services with fewer vendors.

Finding a branch through augmented reality isn't going to solve world peace, but does fill a customer need. Vice president of ebusiness and payments Tom Trebilcock explains how gaming and the "buzz" surrounding augmented reality can help position PNC as a tech-savvy bank in the eyes of consumers.

Google places a price on glitches and Bitcoin makes enemies in law enforcement in the major security stories of the week through May 11.

The head of Sovereign Bank's cards and payments division describes his recent experiment of going cashless for a day — and where he hit a jam. He spoke at the annual Card Forum and Expo.

"There's a lot of frustration" among retailers, says Bill Johnson, who runs the Citigroup unit that issues store cards. "They're worried about who owns the data, who owns the [customer] relationship."

In a buyer's market, the smallest of processing hiccups can cause a lender to lose a potential borrower, which is why companies such as American Pacific Mortgage place a premium on developing new digital delivery strategies.

Diebold said it will provide and manage the security of Patriot Bank's new headquarters.

The U.S. government likes small businesses — in a quaint, 20th-century way. It will bend over backward to support lending to these economic engines, but it won't adequately safeguard their online bank accounts against a more modern plague: hacking.