Retailers

The processor Total System Services Inc. has been through lot in its nearly three decades of existence, but nothing compares to the state of the payments industry today.

Total System Systems, or TSYS, is reselling a new loyalty scheme that uses consumer-behavior data to shape individualized rewards.

My Clear Reports is adding a mobile application to the virtual business center it offers to merchants and independent sales organizations.

LightSpeed Retail Inc. is integrating the Genius Customer Engagement Device into its online point of sale systems to help retailers prepare for the payments industry’s uncertain future.

Elavon and Banco Santander have expanded their existing relationship by agreeing to establish a payment services joint venture together in Spain.

Is tiny the next big thing for independent sales organizations? That’s the dilemma ISOs have been facing ever since Square Inc. came on the scene two years ago, promoting card acceptance to babysitters, gardeners and yard-sale entrepreneurs.

Many payment products started out as something else, and many payment execs came to the industry from different backgrounds.

SignaPay, a Dallas-based independent sales organization, has acquired Equity Commerce LP, creating a combined entity with enhanced financial strength, multiple processing platforms and a number of sponsor banks.

Giving merchants technical support whenever they need it — as opposed to a technology-based tool — is a lesson that’s taken on greater significance as FrontStream develops its product to compete with Square.

Internet connectivity has become an imperative for U.S. small businesses, yet most companies lack formal policies for Internet security and even fewer have contingency plans in the event of a security breach that could expose payment-card and other data.

PayPal's embrace of independent sales organizations could signal a trend among the payment industry's new players — but not necessarily right away.

Many third-party mobile payment providers, such as Google and Isis, are seeking bank partners for their mobile wallets. Should banks agree to their terms or go it alone?

If mobile payments can be presented as an opportunity for merchants and point of sale developers, rather than a disruptive threat, the attitude will speed adoption and provide consumers with a better experience, according to Matt Cicciari of Merchant Warehouse.

Heartland Payment Systems continued its mobile payment advancement, recently taking its Mobuyle card reader and software to Apple iOS mobile devices.

The LevelUp mobile payment system, best known for providing free incentives to consumers and free payment processing to merchants, picked up 4,000 merchants and 300,000 end users since its July 2011 inception. But with so much being given away for free, is there a future for the startup once its new clients become regulars?

Merchants working with My Clear Reports can now sign up for Automated Clearing House products and services the vendor integrated from Checkgateway.

A company that specializes in digging up sales leads has made the merchant-acquiring business one of its main areas of specialization.

New companies are constantly entering the payments industry, bringing not just new products but also new ways of doing business. And they don't always play nice.

This week marks the first time incentives take effect for merchants to accept EMV chip-card payments in the U.S., and although many are on that path, there is still plenty of confusion over where payments technology is ultimately heading.

Cardtronics Inc. has launched a product that enables financial institutions to steer their customers to ATMs in their surcharge-free networks.