Economy

Guest Column

Guest Column. From the March 2010 issue of ISO&Agent.

From the March 2010 issue of ISO&Agent.

From the March 2010 issue of ISO&Agent.

From the March 2010 issue of ISO&Agent.

From the March 2010 issue of ISO&Agent.

Will Detterman, the chief executive of Leap Payments Inc., admits he is taking a chance in introducing a payment card acceptance pricing model that bucks the traditional formula.

Some ISOs are providing qualified leads to sales agents as incentives so they will work harder. The tactic tends to motivate the agents while enabling the ISO to spend less on incentives than they would through monetary bonuses, according to some observers.

Merchant Warehouse Inc. says its mobile payment-acceptance software for smartphones now works with devices using Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Mobile and Google Inc.’s Android operating systems.

Heartland Payments Systems Inc. has signed Martin Eagle Oil Co. Inc. as the first customer for the processor’s SmartLink consolidated-network technology, Princeton, N.J.-based Heartland announced this week.

Nxgen International is opening operations in the United Kingdom and Italy as part of a European expansion strategy the Whitefish, Mont.-based merchant-service provider announced last week. Diversifying geographically can help Nxgen grow and differentiate itself further, says Giuseppe Caltabiano, Nxgen president.

As one of the first resellers of VeriFone Holdings Inc.’s PayWare Mobile service, Merchant 360 Inc. says some mobile merchants like that the service includes a card reader that enables them to get card-present transaction rates.

First National Bank of Omaha plans to relinquish controlling interest in its First National Merchant Solutions merchant-acquiring arm to Total System Services Inc. in a joint venture announced this week.

Point-of-sale terminal maker Hypercom Corp. this week reported a $624,000 fourth quarter profit, marking the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company’s third consecutive profitable quarter. Hypercom reported a $74.8 million loss for the fourth quarter of 2008.

A recent study that focuses on Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard compliance among large merchants also is helpful for educating ISOs and the smaller merchants with which they typically work, observers note. ISOs should educate themselves not only about their specific markets but also about all aspects of data security and compliance in the payments industry to better serve their clients and ensure all merchants protect card data, they say.

Despite a fourth quarter net loss Heartland Payment Systems Inc. attributes largely to breach-related expenses, the Princeton, N.J.-based payment processor sees “encouraging progress” in small and midsize merchant transaction-processing volume and same-store sales, Robert Carr, Heartland chairman and CEO, told analysts during a conference call last week.