Credit

Consumers interested in contactless payment say they find the process easy and fast to use, according to research from Javelin Strategy & Research.

Banks are still debating the use of two-factor authentication for account access, even though hackers are getting more cunning and the tech bellwether Google Inc. just endorsed the extra layer of security.

Until a few years ago, payment card processors and merchant acquirers found it relatively easy to incorporate biannual April and October updates of interchange-rate tables and other mandates from the payment networks into their systems.

The U.S. is closer to EMV readiness than many realize, and it may not cost as much as previously feared, suggests a newly crafted “roadmap” to U.S. adoption of EMV chip-and-PIN technology.

With the law of supply and demand at work - more buyers chasing fewer deals - debt buyers continue to see portfolio prices remain stubbornly high, regardless of the age of the debt.

Many South Koreans may have to pay more in income taxes this year if the government removes the relief it granted 12 years ago on credit card spending when it announces its taxation policy next month.

Visa Inc. this weekend will host a session in Phoenix around its FIFA World Cup-branded Financial Soccer educational video game to help improve financial literacy among teens, Jason Alderman, Visa senior director of financial education, tells PaymentsSource.

Global Payments Inc. has promoted James R. Hicks to president of its Global Payments Asia Pacific Ltd. unit, where he will oversee the merchant processor’s payment operations in 11 Asian countries, the Atlanta-based company announced Feb. 11.

As the prevalence of high-deductible health care insurance plans rises, driving up consumers’ initial out-of-pocket medical expenses, doctors and medical clinics are seeking new ways to collect payments through credit and debit cards.

Cineplex Entertainment, which supports 132 theaters in Canada serving more than 70 million visitors each year, is giving consumers the option to pay for tickets from their PayPal account, the Toronto-based company announced Feb. 11.

The Chicago credit bureau TransUnion LLC has introduced two scores designed to help debt collectors target consumers who are most likely to make payments.

MasterCard Worldwide launched a beta version of its developer’s portal early last month, but the card brand has invited only about 1,000 programmers to participate, a MasterCard spokesperson said Feb. 10.

PayPal Inc. is pushing to expand use of mobile-wallet services as it stakes out its turf in the mobile-payments market, executives said Feb. 10 during a presentation at parent eBay Inc.’s analyst and investors day.

U.S. consumers’ average credit score last month dropped two points to 667 from a year earlier, as average credit card debt fell by 9% to $7,200 during the same period, according to data Credit Karma released Feb. 10.

Vendors often tout their products in press releases and through other efforts seeking publicity. But sometimes they choose to keep things relatively low key.

Tobias Boyland, former owner of several Buffalo, N.Y. area collection agencies, is being sought by U.S. Marshals after he failed to surrender to start a 15-year prison sentence.

This story was updated with more information on Feb. 11.

Positive fourth-quarter results bode well for Wright Express Corp., whose chief executive tells PaymentsSource the fleet card provider and issuer intends to carry the momentum into the new year.

More community colleges are beginning to adopt campus cards tied to prepaid accounts, as demonstrated by CardSmith LLC’s Feb. 7 announced deal in which it will support Southwestern Oregon Community College’s new card program.

Banks typically pitch personal financial management tools as a way to analyze past spending. A new approach flips that around to help consumers control future spending.