Credit

Alliance Data Systems Corp. replaced Barclaycard US as the issuer of Virgin America's affinity credit card this week, launching two products that are co-branded with the airline's Elevate frequent flier program through its Alliance Data Retail Services and Comenity Capital Bank divisions.

Consumers demand far more flexibility from their card reward programs — and some banks are getting creative about delivering it.

Following the lead of other retailers, the National Retail Federation filed an appeal Jan. 2 of a U.S. District Court ruling to approve the years-long class action against the card brands that resulted in a $5.7 billion swipe-fee settlement.

Sandra Braunstein, the director of the Federal Reserve Board's division of consumer and community affairs, plans to retire on April 1, the agency announced Jan. 3.

Target Corp. said data related to shoppers' personal identification numbers was stolen during the recent breach of its debit and credit card system and that it's "confident" customers' accounts haven't been compromised because the information was encrypted.

Sony Corp., which launched its new PlayStation 4 video game console last month, is updating and promoting the payment options consumers can use with its new and older PlayStation systems.

American Express has been ordered by federal regulators to pay nearly $76 million to settle allegations that it used to deceptive marketing and unfair billing practices to sell credit card add-on products to its customers.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased spending and withdrawal limits it imposed on 2 million customers who used debit cards at Target Corp. during the retailer's data breach.

For banks, the most obvious reaction to the recent compromise of 40 million cards at Target stores would be to re-issue credit and debit cards to all customers who shopped at the retailer. But this approach doesn't seem to be universal.

Card payments account for more than two-thirds of all noncash payments in the U.S., and the number of checks written for payment is less than half of what is was a decade ago, according to the Federal Reserve Bank Services' 2013 payments study.

The credit-card issuer has agreed to loosen its restrictions on fees charged by retailers to consumers, following a similar move by Visa and MasterCard.

If Target can't protect itself from a data breach, how can any retailer hope to do so?

Target has confirmed the compromise of the credit and debit card data of 40 million Target shoppers and says the problem has been identified and resolved. However, thieves are selling the card account information as fast as they can on underground sites, according to security blogger and expert Brian Krebs.

The docket at the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals quickly attracted appeals to Judge John Gleeson's Dec. 13 ruling to approve the class-action swipe-fee settlement on an antitrust case that has lingered in his court for nearly nine years.

Mobile commerce provider Spindle and mobile payment company iPayMobil have partnered to enable merchants to offer credit.

A federal judge approved the multi-billion dollar settlement of a lawsuit over credit card swipe fees, resolving an eight-year long battle between banks and retailers.

MasterCard Inc. said its board of directors approved an 83 percent dividend increase and a 10-for-1 stock split.

Payments servicing provider Nortridge is integrating with PayNearMe's electronic cash transaction network to enable borrowers to make payments at 7-Eleven and ACE Cash Express stores, thus reducing the risk lenders would face in in accepting cash payments at their own locations.

Mobile wallet providers such as PayPal, Google and LevelUp already allow consumers to add funds by scanning a credit or debit card with a smartphone's camera. Banks can use similar technology to allow customers to open and fund new accounts from a mobile phone.

American Airlines and US Airways have argued that the combined airline will be good for "competition, consumers and choice." But just days before the merger's closing, changes that the airlines have made to a popular credit card reward may end up having the opposite effect.