Network rules

For the most part, big banks and trade groups have run the conversation on deploying a faster payment system in the U.S. But Nacha's recently proposed 8.2-cent fee for same-day Automated Clearing House payments has merchants taking notice.

As the implementation of new anti-fraud measures for debit and credit cards looms, community banks must work with their processors and sharpen their customer service skills to ensure a smooth transition.

When it comes to protecting sensitive payment data, call centers are often the forgotten operation, and card data leaks out unintentionally. Protected data spoken in one cubicle can be overheard by 20 nearby reps, along with any customers on the phone with those reps.

For the past two years, acquirers and processors have taken aim at the lengthy EMV chip-card certification process as a major stumbling block for U.S. merchants preparing to upgrade from magnetic stripe technology in time to avoid a shift in fraud liability.

U.S. gas stations can wait until October 2017 to begin accepting EMV-chip cards or face the consequence of an increase in fraud liability, but there's already concern that the work at gas pumps could stall.

Thirty-four percent of merchants interviewed late last year for an Aite Group research report on EMV readiness had never heard of the U.S. migration to EMV-chip payment cards, despite the fast-approaching October 2015 deadline set by the card networks.

A federal judge has upheld a Texas law that bars the state's retailers from charging an additional fee to customers who pay with a credit card.

They included owners and managers of a photo scanning business, an auto repair shop, an office supplies provider, a furniture retailer and a family-run electronics store.

Processor First Data is working more closely with long-time partner Underwriters Laboratories to speed up the EMV testing process and certify the chip-card technology in the U.S.

Despite the many high-profile breaches that occurred over the past year, too many businesses have not adopted strong security practices and as many as a third don't have a clear understanding of where their sensitive data is stored or how it is protected.

A year after the Target data breach prompted retailers to step up their migration to EMV-chip acceptance, many consumers finally have EMV cards or can access the same security through Apple Pay's new mobile wallet. But will they finally change their habits?

Chip testers FIME and Barnes International have developed a card personalization tool designed to help banks and card manufacturers get MasterCard-branded EMV-chip products to market sooner.

Payment technology processor Acculynk has agreed to buy the intellectual property of PayPlum.

Modern technology has turned the payments industry into a juggling act, particularly for those charged with deploying new techniques to protect payment card data.

Square Inc. may have more incentive than other acquirers in urging merchant clients to accept EMV-chip cards, but its pricing strategy could deter some from adopting the secure technology.

An executive order signed by President Obama on Friday that mandated the adoption of chip and PIN technology in government cards and enabled its use in facilities like Post Offices is a "meaningless gesture" that smacks of politics over substance.

The White House is slated to unveil a major package of initiatives on Friday to increase data security for financial transactions, including an executive order to add chip-and-PIN technology to government-issued credit and debit cards.

Next year's updates to the Payment Card Industry data security standards will give compliant retailers better protection, but hackers will be targeting the weaknesses of companies that don't put in extra effort.

It's time for the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council to work with acquirers in providing merchants with "PCI in a box," said Stephen Orfei, the council's new general manager.

MasterCard is establishing a foundation for mobile wallets in Europe by requiring the continent's merchants to accept contactless payments by the end of the decade.