Credit

The total number of consumer statute lawsuits filed in the Oct. 16-31 period reached 503, a slight increase from 497 in the first half of October and bringing the month's total to 1,000, according to data from U.S. District Courts.

Though the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has jurisdiction over a wide range of financial products, Elizabeth Warren is making credit cards her top priority.

Bling Nation Ltd. said Tuesday that its mobile contactless payment system will be accepted by the regional grocery chain Brookshire Grocery Co.

Discover Financial Services Inc. said its senior vice president of finance and chief accounting officer, Mark A. Zaeske, plans to resign.

Releases of loan-loss reserves continued to fuel bank earnings in the third quarter, and there may be plenty of gas left in that tank.

Declines in same-store sales at small and midsize businesses appear to be easing up, suggests the Small Business Credit Sales Report.

Discover Financial Services is taking competition to heart with two major sports-sponsorship deals, signaling a major change in its allocation of marketing dollars. The deals involve the National Hockey League and college football’s Orange Bowl.

Kinecta Federal Credit Union has begun issuing contactless credit cards supported by MasterCard Worldwide’s PayPass service to new and existing members, the financial institution announced Nov. 9.

Culver Franchising System Inc. has become the third retailer to support First Data Corp.’s Facebook e-Gift Application, which enables consumers to provide recipients with a code to use to redeem funds provided as a gift at 426 locations, the fast-food restaurant chain announced Nov. 8.

Fundtech Ltd. has begun offering clients of its PayPlus USA service access to American Express Co.’s FX International Payments services, the global banking-transaction services provider announced Nov. 9.

U.S. households sent at least $11.7 billion abroad through remittances during a 12-month period between 2007 and 2008, and typical amounts sent ranged between $500 and $1,000, the U.S. Census Bureau said in a report released Nov. 8.

With mobile access now widely accepted as a consumer channel, more banks are turning their attention to businesses.

In today’s marketplace, where members of the merchant-acquiring community are using every resource available to improve their professional standing and to find new business, many are turning to such social-networking websites as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to get in front of their respective audiences.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Nov. 9 will hear oral arguments in a case that may determine whether card issuers may handle customer disputes through arbitration or potentially more costly class-action lawsuits, industry experts say.

Vodafone Egypt is collaborating with Citibank Egypt to launch a cobranded credit card that will enable customers to take out small loans at the telco’s outlets in Egypt, the companies announced last week.

Many payments-industry executives are considering taking new jobs for the opportunity to gain professional growth, according to new survey results from TopGrading Solutions Inc.

American Express Co. says it hopes to improve its appeal among online merchants by adding fraud management to cover any payment type — not just its own.

After years of efforts by banks to get their commercial clients to ditch paper checks, electronic payments have finally begun to wrest a significant share of the business-to-business market.

Online Resources Corp. is continuing the development of its new strategic plan, which it intends to detail next month.

Google Inc. said its holiday promotion tool can increase merchants' online sales by 209%.