ISOs

The PCI Security Standards Council this fall plans to launch a website dedicated to small merchants, which have asked the council for help in understanding how data-security measures affect them.

Online payment gateway GoToBilling Inc. has a new reseller program that it hopes will attract more ISOs and, subsequently, more merchants, the Bozeman, Mont.-based company says.

International CyberTrans wants to add more merchant-services salespeople to its roster.

Hypercom Corp.’s board of directors on Sept. 30 rejected VeriFone Systems Inc.’s unsolicited $284 million bid to buy the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based point-of-sale terminal maker.

The more than 350 independent sales organizations that work with National Processing Co. should anticipate work as usual once Fifth Third Processing Solutions LLC completes its acquisition of the Louisville, Ky.-based merchant processor.

ISOs and agents seldom question the importance of helping their merchants comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.

Paul A. Rianda is an attorney who has provided legal advice to the bankcard industry for more than 15 years. His e-mail is paul@riandalaw.com.

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.

Many who work in the ISO and acquiring business today likely have dealt with in some way the effects of a payment card data breach.

Guest Column

Sales agents questioning the revenue-share payouts from their ISOs often ponder the fine line between complaining and complaining too much. The question may be important, however, such as whether the ISO shares revenue when an agent helps bring merchants into compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.

Though there are no plans yet for the U.S. to adopt EMV chip-and-PIN technology, U.S. merchants are not all in the same boat in terms of their readiness to adopt EMV technology, observers say.

Calpian Inc., a Dallas-based lender to independent sales organizations, is turning to the investor community to raise money so it can complete more deals.

VeriFone Systems Inc.’s $9 million deal earlier this month to buy mobile point-of-sale terminal maker Way Systems Inc. is not surprising to analysts who follow the POS-device industry.

Only acquiring banks and the largest ISOs have to file formal written plans with the card brands to explain how they intend to bring the nation’s 5 million small retailers, restaurateurs and other mom-and-pop businesses into compliance with Payment Card Industry data security standards. But everybody in the credit and debit card “food chain” feels the sometimes-unpleasant effects of those plans.

VeriFone Systems Inc. plans to use its acquisition of Way Systems Inc. to attract more merchant interest in its mobile-payment systems. But the deal also eliminates a competitor, analysts say.

Hypercom Corp.’s announced change on Aug. 31 of its sales leadership overseeing multilane point-of-sale products and Latin America signifies the payment-terminal maker’s desire to increase market share and to develop new sales channels.

Twin brothers Zachary and Matthew Hyman this year have added more than 11,000 merchants to their San Rafael, Calif.-based Central Payment ISO, putting them on track to reprise their success with a previous ISO.

France-based payment-service provider Aros Worldline plans to acquire India-based payment-services provider Venture Infotek Pvt. Ltd. for US$100 million. The acquisition would represent India’s largest-ever deal in the payments space, reports local newspaper Economic Times.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California has dismissed a shareholder class-action lawsuit filed against some members of VeriFone Systems Inc.’s board of directors in 2007, according to the San Jose, Calif.-based terminal maker.