Data and information management

A data dump by hacktivists called Anonymous Ukraine, which triggered American Express to notify nearly 77,000 California residents of potential exposed information, is posing a public relations challenge for the card brand even though it says its internal systems were not breached.

No organization is immune to data breaches–especially small businesses without access to the same resources as larger merchants, requiring a vigorous security program that includes EMV and other protections at the point of sale.

CardFlight intends to incorporate Apple's fingerprint scanning technology into SwipeSimple, its mobile payment application for businesses.

CrowdCurity is applying the core principle of Bitcoin—decentralization—to security by offering a crowdsourced marketplace of global security testers.

When Shell introduced its Shell MasterCard through issuer Chemical Bank in 1994, it used the simple message of "The Card That Earns Free Gasoline," which convinced more than 1 million consumers to sign up.

The number of companies that have entered into the merchant cash advance business has grown rapidly over the past year, since it can provide an additional source of income beyond payment transaction fees. An industry that seemed all but dead in 2008 has re-emerged and may be stronger than ever.

One of the biggest arguments bankers have with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is its collection — and publication — of consumer complaints.

WASHINGTON — Banks are still feeling negative effects from last year's sudden rise in medium- and long-term interest rates, but plenty of signs in the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s latest industry update continue to point to a lending resurgence in the near future.

MeaWallet is prepping to launch in a number of countries, and it is starting in Sweden through the use of a nationalized authentication standard.

Square, which built its business on the simplicity of its plug-in payment device, is piling on services that should make banks and other companies take notice.

Square has launched Square Capital, a credit program for small business, joining a growing number of companies breaking into small-business lending.

WASHINGTON — A battle over social media about how well the current housing finance system treats African-Americans and other minorities has spurred a critical discussion about racial disparities in the mortgage market.

MasterCard Inc. plans to help its cardholders address issues that arise from identity theft, while also extending its zero liability policy to include PIN-based and ATM transactions.

There’s no doubt that the payment industry has gone through significant changes over the last few years. The implementation of stringent federal regulations presents a number of challenges for payment processors. And with increasing instances of frauds and disputes, merchants and customers alike are expecting payment service providers to ramp up in terms of security measures, yet still make transacting easy for them.

The fleet card provider WEX Inc. has extended its contract to provide private-label and fleet card services for Phillips 66.

More community banks are offering Small Business Administration loans far beyond their local markets, hoping that the income boost outweighs the long-term risk of lending in unfamiliar regions.

Traxpay Inc. wants to provide flexibility and speed when business-to-business payments hit unexpected snags that traditional banking systems can't resolve.

As anyone who has purchased an airline ticket online can attest, published prices are a relic of days gone by. Adjusting prices in real time to reflect continuous changes in consumer demand and changing understanding of underlying supply costs—or dynamic pricing—has become increasingly common.

Five years after the enactment of major reforms to the U.S. credit-card market, industry opposition has quietly faded into acceptance. Bankers certainly aren't celebrating the 2009 legislation, but they're not condemning it, either.

Authentify Inc. says its new mobile authentication platform will work with the Samsung Galaxy S5's built-in fingerprint reader.