Small banks already face a mobile-banking adoption deficit to their larger competitors, but some community institutions are still questioning the channel's safety, weighing emerging security threats against consumer expectations of new mobile banking services.

Consumers trust PayPal Inc. about as much or more than well-established payment networks such as Visa Inc. or MasterCard Worldwide when it comes to emerging mobile payments, but they place the most trust in their bank, new survey data suggest.

Bank of America Corp. says reports that circulated this morning saying the bank has delayed its launch of a mobile check-deposit application to the second half of 2012 are half true.

In a promotion taking place in New York, consumers may act on their impulses using mobile tags, such as bar codes and QR codes, to not only shop around with their camera phones but also to initiate purchases while riding in certain taxis.

An alternative payments company that lets users make electronic payments in cash is planning to quickly expand its user base and merchant clients with the addition of a mobile channel.

City Bank is upgrading its mobile-banking capabilities to compete with larger banks, always a concern for smaller institutions. At the same time, the $1.9 billion-asset bank, which serves a region surrounding Lubbock, Texas, also is experimenting with security applications for mobile devices that shield non-mobile channels.

The world of card acceptance on BlackBerry smartphones has just become more complete.

With Visa debit card spending for online purchases reaching new heights in Europe and the United Kingdom, the timing appears right for consumers to tie those cards to mobile payments.

A startup is attempting to create a mobile-payment system that focuses on digital receipts and rewards. And it leaves payments out of the process.

PayPal Inc.on Jan. 18 reported a jump in fourth-quarter revenue, driven in part by mobile payments.

NEW YORK–With so much attention on turning mobile phones into payment devices through hardware upgrades, banks may be missing a growing opportunity in the mobile Web browser.

American Express Co. has begun licensing its digital wallet, Serve, in China.

A new mobile-commerce wallet from payment-processor Apriva LLC could go a long way toward helping merchants decide whether investing in new mobile-payment hardware is worth the cost.

Green Dot Corp. has been busy lately, closing out its long-awaited and controversial $15.7 million purchase of Bonneville Bancorp and plotting a customer acquisition initiative.

There might not be a better time to enter the mobile-payments arena than now.

VeriFone Systems Inc. has its GlobalBay iPad retail mobile-payment software literally rolling on the sales floors at U.S. Guess Inc. clothing and accessories stores, further establishing that the company intends to position itself as a key player in mobile payments and customer marketing.

Security experts have long considered restaurants a happy hunting ground for credit card skimmers and payment-system hackers. So much so, diners have become understandably reluctant to let a waiter take their credit card away from the table when settling their bill.

E*Trade Financial Corp.’s securities unit has introduced mobile deposit for the Apple Inc. iPhone, the company anounced Dec. 5.

Independent safety-science firm UL LLC signaled its desire to enter growing payment areas such as mobile transactions with its purchase this week of Australia-based payment card security-assessment company Witham Laboratories Ltd.

If mobile-payment technology providers stub their toes with security, or if merchants deem a vendor’s mobile payments too complex, another company likely is working to resolve the problem.