Bank technology

Banks are finding it easier to block fraud attempts if they have invested in systems that show all customer relationships at once, analysts say.

To cater to people who do not have an Apple Inc. iPhone or Google Inc. Android smartphone, TD Bank has introduced a mobile banking and bill-pay application for Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry devices.

First Horizon National Corp.'s First Tennessee Bank has added bill payment to its mobile app. The Memphis, Tenn., company's mobile banking app lets people check account balances, transfer funds and view recent transactions.

Fiserv Inc. said Monday that Liberty Bank in Springfield, Mo., will use its Premier bank platform. Premier handles account processing, online banking, electronic document management, bill payment and other services, the Brookfield, Wis., vendor said.

Zumogo, ProPay Inc.'s new social media payment tool for mobile phones, tries to go beyond the confines of conventional mobile payment applications.

Rockland Trust Co. of Rockland, Mass. has joined the handful of banks giving their customers the ability to deposit checks with a smartphone.

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Lender Processing Services reported annual and quarterly revenue gains for origination services and technology, but its corresponding business in the mortgage servicing and default arenas closed out the year with quarterly declines.

Though many banks have reported financial improvements, their technology spending is still at a trickle. That's the message coming from major banking tech vendors, and it's likely to remain the case for the foreseeable future as banks grapple with credit problems and regulatory changes.

Though many banks have reported financial improvements, their technology spending is still at a trickle. That's the message coming from major banking tech vendors, and it's likely to remain the case for the foreseeable future as banks grapple with credit problems and regulatory changes.

Fiserv Inc.'s shares fell more than 3% in after-hours trading Thursday after the Brookfield, Wis., banking technology vendor reported earnings that missed analysts' estimates.

The online sports graphics retailer Fathead LLC has agreed to implement ModaSolutions Corp.'s eBillme as an option at checkout.

An online authentication method based on recognizing faces — an idea so offbeat that even the vendor behind it has largely abandoned its efforts to sell it to banks — may be getting a second chance after Facebook Inc. devised a similar system for extreme security cases.

CashEdge said Thursday that NYCE Payments Network will offer CashEdge's Popmoney payment system to its more than 3,000 financial institution clients.

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The payments processor ProPay Inc. is testing a mobile application that lets consumers pay brick-and-mortar merchants through their smartphones instead of handing over a card.

Prosper Marketplace Inc. said Wednesday that recent changes to its lending model have cut in half the time it takes to fund loans.

Companies providing payment gateways, loyalty programs and authorization and related services for Visa-branded transactions have improved their compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, Visa Inc. said.

Despite their exemption from the Federal Reserve's proposed cap on debit card fees, small banks and credit unions are hesitant to spend heavily on payments technology until more details are available, according to Jack Henry & Associates Inc.

Payments processor First Data Corp.'s fourth-quarter 2010 revenue rose 6% from a year earlier to $2.73 billion, thanks to higher debit network fees and merchant-related services.