Bank technology

Emerging voice recognition technology dives into databases to come up with quick fixes and tailored cross-sales messages. Financial services adoption is slow, but analysts expect a quick pick up in the year ahead to improve service and reduce call times and costs.

The terminal maker has created iPad software that works with Guess' inventory system. The retailer plans to have salespeople roll iPad on pedestals right into customer dressing rooms.

Financial planners, like rural doctors, sometimes struggle to reach customers in far-flung locations. Videoconferencing is helping the bank bridge this gap, although not everyone gravitates toward it.

Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen has asked Wells Fargo & Co. if the bank improperly released customers' Social Security numbers with identifying information.

Yahoo stands out as the only major Internet brand without a payments service. That may change now that the company has hired Scott Thompson from PayPal Inc. to be its new CEO.

Offers loan originators a range of software and services.

Long wait times at branches and slow loan approvals have become unacceptable to the credit union, which is upgrading most of its IT via a Corelation platform.

Underwriters Laboratories plans to help customers guard against payment fraud and data theft.

Former IT chief Kelly Dubbert will become chief operating officer in mid January.

Many companies still cling to time-sapping policies of checking transactions manually for mistakes and abuse. That is changing as more commercial-card issuers offer card-auditing programs designed to catch errors and variations from corporate spending policies automatically.

Elavon, a unit of U.S. Bancorp announced Wednesday a secure payment product that turns mobile devices, such as cell phones, into chip-card payment terminals.

InteliSpend Prepaid Solutions announced Wednesday a Visa-branded prepaid corporate card as an alternative to traditional corporate credit cards.

SVB Financial Group in Santa Clara, Calif., is expanding its banking unit to Arizona by opening an IT and operations facility in Tempe this year.

Yahoo Inc. named dark-horse candidate Scott Thompson, the president of eBay Inc.'s PayPal division, as its new chief executive.

Companies globally that provide such services will see some $55 billion in international remittances made through mobile devices by 2016, according to a December report from Juniper Research.

Consultancy Beyond the Arc will use Attensity's filtering technology in its services.

Fearless forecasts for consumer finance and bank technology in the new year.

Citi's new Facebook application moves the ball forward for banks that want to combine social media with banking activity, but it also raises concerns about privacy and security of consumer data.

Jack Henry's ProfitStars, FIS and Clairmail are all among the firms upgrading the look and feel of their web-accessed mobile banking offerings as the use of 'non native' apps continues to be strong.

1st Capital Bank in Monterey, Calif., said Tuesday that it has selected First Data for its online banking services.