Payment processing

NCR Corp.’s German subsidiary today announced it has signed agreements with 20 banks to monitor their self-service systems, increasing the time the machines are available for customer use.

The National Bank of Kuwait has renewed its credit card processing agreement with United States-based First Data Corp.

EProcessing Network LLC, a Houston-based online payment gateway company, says its ePNJPOS payment software now supports VeriFone Holdings Inc.’s PINpad 1000SE PIN pad.

Gemalto NV said Wednesday it will set aside between 6 million euros (US$8.7 million) and 10 million euros to “cover the potential consequences related” to an apparent programming glitch that left millions of German payment cards useless earlier this month (see story).

The difference between Mophie LLC’s payment card reader for Apple Inc.’s iPhone and similar products competitors have debuted is that Mophie’s Marketplace product will work with any merchant account, according to the Paw Paw, Mich.-based provider of technology accessory products such as smartphone batteries. Retailers can set up a merchant account through Mophie or use an existing account, and “this is the main difference between the Marketplace and competitors,” says a company spokesperson.

Visa Inc.’s devotion to signature-based contactless transactions has caused one large retailer to take a stand against the card network, and it also poses an obstacle to adoption of EMV cards in the United States, says an industry analyst.

Global Payments Inc.’s North American merchant-services revenue grew 10.5% during the payment processor’s second quarter. ISOs largely drove the growth with their “strong performance ... as evidenced by U.S. transaction growth of 19%,” Paul Garcia, Global chairman and CEO, said during a conference call with analysts last week.

MasterCard Worldwide today announced the availability of a merchant data service called MasterCard Advisors Merchant Solutions.

Total online transactions and spending volume in the U.S. rose again during the recent holiday shopping season compared with a year earlier, while the average transaction amount fell for the second consecutive year, according to new data Chase Paymentech released Jan. 12.

U.S. Bancorp's merchant acquiring unit, Elavon, has started a hosted payment gateway it calls Fusebox.

Gemalto has increased its capital investment to become the majority shareholder in mobile-payments firm Netsize, the company announced Tuesday. Amstercam-based Gemalto has an option to buy the company at a later date, but it did not disclose terms of the transaction.

The fee structure of eBay Inc.’s Bill Me Later instant credit service might violate a consumer-protection law in California, Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP alleges. The Seattle-based law firm last week said it filed a lawsuit against the San Jose, Calif.-based company on behalf of consumers and is seeking class-action status.

Mophie, a Paw Paw, Mich.-based provider of technology accessory products such as smartphone batteries, last week at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas unveiled details regarding its payment card reader for Apple Inc.’s iPhone (see story) , according OhGizmo.com, a technology blog.

Two point-of-sale terminal makers on Jan. 11 announced product updates. Ingenico S.A. says its new iSC350 payment terminal can display full-motion video on its consumer-facing screen with stereo sound.

Does the world need another automated clearing house processor?

Warning that the weak U.S. economy will continue to drag down consumer spending this year, Wells Fargo & Co. issued a blanket downgrade of the transaction processing segment.

Large retailers’ efforts to attract more business are adversely affecting transaction fee revenue at Global Payments Inc., the processor said Jan. 7 when announcing its earnings for its fiscal second quarter ended Nov. 30, 2009.

3Delta Systems Inc. has become a participant in a merchant-services referral deal for the 19,000 members of the National Association of Credit Management, Chantilly, Va.-based 3Delta announced last week.

PSCU Financial Services this week reported a record year for debit and credit card transactions processed despite the economy and the turmoil in the nation’s financial markets.

Heartland Payment Systems Inc. and Visa Inc. on Jan. 8 announced they have reached a settlement agreement in which Heartland will pay up to $60 million to Visa Inc. card issuers for damages sustained from the 2008 breach into the payment processor’s network.