Credit

Citing expansion in the use of its cashless vending-machine technology, USA Technologies on Sept. 21 reported $15.8 million in revenue for the fiscal year ended June 30, up 31.7% from $12 million during the previous 12-month period. The company reported an $11.6 million net loss; it reported a $13.7 million loss the previous fiscal year.

Citigroup Inc. has appointed Jud Linville as CEO of its Citi Cards credit card unit, replacing Paul Galant, who was named Citi’s CEO of global enterprise payments. Linville previously was president and CEO of American Express Co.’s U.S. Consumer Services operations.

A federal judge allowed a member to sue Pentagon FCU for breach of contract and discrimination after it canceled his Visa account, allegedly because his income dropped following a railroad injury.

Discover Financial Services continues to tweak its online credit card marketing strategy in order to offer more-customized card offers based on consumers’ wide-ranging preferences, the company’s vice president in charge of acquiring new customers told a group of marketing executives last week.

Merchants using VeriFi Inc.’s charge-back re-presentment service no longer have to use the Los Angeles-based company’s online payment gateway. Instead, merchants now may use any online payment gateway, and they do not have to switch payment processors, Jeff Sawitke, VeriFi chief product officer, tells PaymentsSource.

Telecom Canada International, a telecommunications and energy consultancy with offices in Canada, the United States and Hong Kong, will refer its Canadian and U.S. clients wanting merchant-processing services to Elavon Inc., the Atlanta-based payment processor announced Sept. 21.

A bank in the United Arab Emirates reportedly soon plans to launch a credit card designed for use exclusively online at Jordan-based Aramex Ltd.’s Shop&Ship service.

High-end spenders who tightened their belts in 2009 are starting to loosen them up, as such consumers likely are behind an overall increase in credit card spending last month, suggests First Data Corp.’s August SpendTrend payment card transaction analysis of all store sales activity that First Data processes.

During the second three months of this year, Visa Inc. continued to outperform MasterCard Worldwide in U.S. debit and credit card purchase volume, though true comparisons of their debit card programs are difficult because of the differences in how they report their data.

Bling Nation Ltd. soon will tap in to VeriFone Systems Inc.’s vast reseller network to extend point-of sale acceptance of Bling’s rewards-based contactless BlingTags, the companies announced Sept. 21. The deal also will help extend acceptance of PayPal, traditionally an online payment service, to brick-and-mortar retailers nationally.

With another solid quarter behind Discover Financial Services, the Riverwoods, Ill.- based company now says it is focused on increasing merchant acceptance of its cards, growing its Pulse PIN-debit network and boosting customer retention.

More consumers are using online banking bill-payment services to keep better control over their finances and to hold on to their money longer, suggest new research data from Fiserv Inc.

Loyola University in Chicago this fall plans to help make the areas around the campus safer by reducing the need for students to carry cash when the university updates its campus card program to include off-campus restaurants.

The Apple iPad is being hyped as the future of computing.

Kenya Commercial Bank Ltd. earlier this month rolled out an online-payment service to bolster inbound tourism to the country, an official from the Nairobi-based bank tells PaymentsSource.

China's largest mobile-network operator China Mobile is suspending its project involving an RFID-SIM, a mobile-payment technology based on the 2.4GHz standard for contactless payment, local media in China reported last week.

In what will be a landmark event for the heavily closeted banking sector in Myanmar, a private bank in that country reportedly soon will begin offering online-payment services in partnership with a government ministry.

SafetyPay Inc.’s recent partnership with Banco Nacional de Costa Rica will enable the bank’s customers to shop online more securely worldwide, Miami Beach, Fla.-based SafetyPay notes in a Sept. 15 announcement.

Mobile-payments firm RegaloCard LLC is bringing its card-based funds-transfer service to an additional 4,000 U.S. retail locations through a distribution agreement with iPayStation LLC, the companies announced Sept. 20.

Positive credit trends and an overall improvement of credit performance helped produce a strong fiscal third quarter for Discover Financial Services, the Riverwoods, Ill-based company announced Sept. 20.