Economy

I saw the future at the Northeast Acquirers Association conference in January and realized I had seen it before.

For nearly every sales force in nearly every industry, selling based on price can be a losing game; someone is always willing to sell for less.

Between earnings pressures, looming regulatory changes and new technologies flooding the marketplace, today’s market can be a tough place for sales agents.

First Data Corp.’s decision to consolidate its merchant and card-issuer processing operations could help the payments company trim costs and better seize opportunities stemming from pending debit card regulation, analysts said Jan. 13.

Compliance with Payment Card Industry data-security standards is a top concern among smaller merchants, but many remain unaware of the scope of their potential liability regarding data breaches and are unclear on specific requirements, new survey data released Jan. 12 suggest.

ISOs working with Global Payments Inc. will play a role in determining the effects of a proposed 12-cent cap on debit transactions imposed by the Federal Reserve Board on the Atlanta-based payments processor, Global Payments said last week during a conference call to discuss its fiscal second quarter results.

Visa Inc. says it plans to implement a dual interchange schedule for issuing banks and credit unions in the wake of debit interchange regulation.

Total System Services Inc., or TSYS, has moved quicker than it originally anticipated in acquiring First National Bank of Omaha’s stake in First National Merchant Solutions LLC.

United Bank Card Inc. is making its Harbortouch point-of-sale system available for free to merchants that continue to use the company to process their payment card transactions, the Hampton, N.J.-based ISO announced Jan. 3.

To some, Elizabeth Warren's concept of a consumer protection regulator is an innovation. To others, it's an abomination. Either way, it's here to stay, and banking regulation will never be the same.

Merchant acquirers might be breathing a sigh of relief following the Federal Reserve Board’s proposal to cap debit card interchange rates at 12 cents per transaction. But though the proposed rules would not directly affect them, issuer reaction might, observers say.

Various factors may have come into play regarding Ingenico S.A.’s Dec. 19 rejection of an unsolicited, nonbinding offer.

Discover Financial Services is banking on a mobile future. Executives at the Riverwoods, Ill.-based company said during a Dec. 16 conference call with analysts to discuss its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings that its deal with wireless carriers AT&T Inc., T-Mobile USA Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. will play heavily in its future.

Merchant cash-advance company AmeriMerchant LLC says the hundreds of merchant-services sales offices working with transaction processor First Data Corp. will have an easier time selling AmeriMerchant’s services through an agreement announced Dec. 14.

Payment Processing Technologies LLC has launched ISO Registration In A Box. The Warsaw, Ind.-based ISO, also known as PayProTec, says it designed the service to make it easier for independent sales offices to grow their businesses.

The allure of double-digit payment card transaction volume growth and recent deregulation have prompted Elavon Inc. and Credicard, a subsidiary of Citigroup Inc., to form a merchant acquiring joint venture in Brazil, Elavon announced last week.

Assurance Investment Partners Inc. has added merchant-processing services to the list of offerings to its clients with its investment in Veritas Merchant Services LLC, a Louisville, Ky.-based ISO, Assurance announced last week.

Vivotech, Monitise To Deliver NFC Mobile Payments In The U.S.