Payment processing

Though Google Inc. has yet to deliver on a true near-field communication payment phone, it is rumored to be working with key players on the acceptance side.

Ukash, a United Kingdom-based firm that sells prepaid vouchers for online shopping, believes a new free Apple Inc. iPhone application finally can help it break into the United States market after establishing its payment method in more than 50 other countries.

Barclays PLC continues to dominate the United Kingdom’s contactless-payment market, claiming 88% of the UK’s total base of 12.9 million contactless debit and credit cardholders as of the beginning of the year, according to data the company released March 24.

LexisNexis has launched Retail Fraud Manager, a platform designed to help online merchants detect and combat card-not-present fraud by automating and analyzing the transaction-review process, the company announced March 23.

Litle & Co.’s Web-based merchant clients may begin to protect themselves against card-not-present fraud through CyberSource Corp.’s Decision Manager online fraud-prevention service, CyberSource announced March 23.

NetSpend Holdings Inc. is continuing to expand distribution of its prepaid cards through automobile insurers with a new marketing agreement it announced March 24.

With the emergence of smartphones, the next evolution in point-of-sale transaction processing has begun, fueled by devices not designed for the POS environment yet becoming increasingly popular nonetheless.

Three men who traveled to Honolulu from California last fall were charged with setting up card skimming devices at at least four local gas stations, then using the information to create counterfeit cards on six local credit unions and banks.

Telefónica O2 Germany GmbH’s customers now may purchase virtual and physical goods online using their mobile-phone number through a partnership the wireless carrier announced with Boku Inc. March 24.

The delay some lawmakers are seeking in implementing proposed new debit-interchange rules would represent a “huge handout” to large banks that do not deserve another bailout by consumers and businesses, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told reporters March 24 during a teleconference outlining his opposition to a delay.

Union Bank of India Ltd. is partnering with Nokia India Pvt. Ltd. to launch a mobile-based payment service, a spokesperson for the Mumbai-based bank tells PaymentsSource.

Alexandria, Va.-based Pentagon Federal Credit Union said it is providing members with 5% cash back on every gas purchase paid for at the pump and 1% cash back on all other purchases with the use of its PenFed Visa Platinum Cash Rewards Card.

Spotting an opportunity to help hospitals improve patient-payment collection systems and to expand its relationships with commercial customers, Wells Fargo & Co. this month is rolling out an online health care payment product that integrates various functions.

Hewlett-Packard Co. wants it known that its business interests extend beyond personal computers and printers. They also touch the payments industry in a significant way.

Lloyds TSB Bank PLC later this year will begin issuing Visa-branded contactless debit cards to its accountholders within the greater London area, the Scotland-based bank announced March 23.

Payments-software company ACI Worldwide Inc. has acquired payments-software provider ISD Corp. for an undisclosed amount, a move that adds 140 retailers to ACI’s client base, Carolyn Homberger, ACI vice president of programs and operations, tells PaymentsSource.

BankSimple.com has entered into a partnership with TxVia Inc. for processing debit card, online bill payment, and automated clearinghouse transactions, the New York-based companies announced March 22.

Payments industry experts are volunteering to establish best-practice recommendations for integrated payments through ATMs in conjunction with the ATM Integrated Payments Standards Forum organized by the ATM Industry Association’s International Payments Forum, the association announced March 22.

IP Commerce Inc. will use Retail Decision Ltd.’s fraud-prevention service to help small merchants and application developers combat card-not-present fraud, the London-based card-fraud prevention and payment-processing company announced March 22.

WESTON, Fla.–Independent sales organizations, concerned about how proposed new debit-interchange rules may affect their operations, are gearing up for changes in the ISO landscape even as experts say it is too soon to know the shape those changes ultimately might take.