Payment processing

In today’s marketplace, where members of the merchant-acquiring community are using every resource available to improve their professional standing and to find new business, many are turning to such social-networking websites as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to get in front of their respective audiences.

Many payments-industry executives are considering taking new jobs for the opportunity to gain professional growth, according to new survey results from TopGrading Solutions Inc.

American Express Co. says it hopes to improve its appeal among online merchants by adding fraud management to cover any payment type — not just its own.

After years of efforts by banks to get their commercial clients to ditch paper checks, electronic payments have finally begun to wrest a significant share of the business-to-business market.

Online Resources Corp. is continuing the development of its new strategic plan, which it intends to detail next month.

Google Inc. said its holiday promotion tool can increase merchants' online sales by 209%.

Women’s specialty apparel retailer Dots LLC has added First Data Corp.’s Facebook application that enables consumers to provide recipients with a code to use to redeem funds provided as a gift at the store’s 400 locations.

Cooperative Rural Development Bank Ltd. has expanded the payment card acceptance it set up for the Tanzania National Parks in late 2008, the bank announced Nov. 3.

An expanding international business, continued success with its MasterCard cobranded credit card program and improvements in its Fleet business helped boost Wright Express Corp.’s third-quarter results, the fleet card issuer announced Nov. 4.

The struggling casino industry continues to put a strain on Global Cash Access Holdings Inc.’s financial performance.

Oxigen Services Pvt. Ltd. has signed a service agreement with Luup International Ltd. to launch mobile-payment services in India, Luup International announced Oct. 29.

The Federal Reserve Board’s still-unwritten debit-interchange rules and new restrictions on network-exclusivity agreements could help First Data Corp.’s business, executives at the transaction processor predicted Nov. 4.

Driven by increases in debit-network fees, First Data Corp. on Nov. 4 reported revenue of $2.6 million for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, up 8% from the same period last year. Adjusted revenue of $1.6 million was up 2%, helped by growth in the Retail and Alliances Services and Financial Services units, the company said.

U.S. Bancorp has signed on as the largest bank to use an alternative payments system that lets consumers pay for online transactions through their institutions' websites.

Apple Inc.'s iPhone payments system is coming closer to reality.

Because of multiple errors found in many European business’ domestic and cross-border payment data, a migration to a Single Euro Payments Area may prove to be costly as faulty data may accrue fees under the SEPA system, a new research report from Experian Payments suggests.

Green Dot Corp.’s revenue rose 36.1% during third quarter, driven by a sharp increase in the consumer activation of its prepaid cards, the company reported Nov. 3.

Cash Access Holdings Inc. on Nov. 3 reported net income of $4.9 million for the third quarter ended Sept. 30, down 39.5% from $8.1 million during the same period last year. Revenues fell 7.4%, to $152.1 million from $164.3 million.

Heartland Payments Systems Inc. posted a $7.5 million third-quarter profit that reversed a $37.1 million loss a year earlier attributable to a $35.6 million charge to cover costs related to a data breach, but at least one analyst was not impressed.

Cardtronics Inc. is crediting its Allpoint surcharge-free ATM network for the company’s recent rise in profitability.