The list of mobile card readers seems endless today, but it's about to get a lot bigger, a trend that shows consumers are ready for mobile payments.

Before the mobile card reader phenomenon took off, it was unlikely that a small-business owner could walk into a nearby store, pay $10 and walk out minutes later with the ability to accept card payments. Today, mobile payment devices are competing for shelf space with a growing number of major retailers.

Greenwich Associates announced Monday it has agreed to acquire Javelin Strategy & Research for its work in mobile and multichannel banking, payments, security and fraud, among other expertise.

Isis, mobile-pay venture formed by AT&T, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile, has signed two deals that would allow consumers to use its Near Field Communication-based mobile wallet at vending machines that accept cashless payments.

Bankers in the central U.S. may soon try to renegotiate the price they pay Equifax (EFX) to learn the creditworthiness of borrowers.

RICHLAND, Wash. – Gesa CU said this morning it has agreed to deploy five uGenius Personal Teller Machines in the first quarter of 2013.

A federal district court shut down an operation that allegedly pretended to be the Federal Trade Commission to trick consumers into turning over bank account information and other sensitive personal data.

PHOENIX – Banner FCU announced this morning it has become the first financial institution to dispense multibranded prepaid gift cards through its ATMs.

Banks have at times been urged to design their own wallets instead of working with third parties — but going it alone may not always be the best approach.

In an effort to make its style of alternative mobile and online payments more accessible, Dwolla launched several new features.

The mobile-payment provider Spindle has entered an agreement with the point of sale technology distributor Integrated Payments to offer its mobile commerce system to Integrated Payments' clients.

The processor Planet Payment Inc. has begun offering its iPay payment gateway to customers of the e-commerce platform provider Magento.

Adyen is launching a portable card reader that accepts both mag-stripe and EMV chip-card payments — the latter a feature that’s still rare in the U.S. even at hard-wired point of sale terminals.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has warned six specialty consumer reporting firms they could be breaking the law by not making it easy for people to get a free annual copy of their credit reports.

Student loan debt has grown every quarter since at least 2003, and delinquency rates look worse than previously believed.

It appears Near Field Communication payment technology is on the verge of coming into its own — at least in terms of its availability, though not necessarily in consumer adoption.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – CU*Answers said Friday it has introduced an applications check for its core processing platform, CU*BASE which gives loan applications a “final check” so management can be sure their loan officers don’t forget to get everything needed to complete the application.

INDIANAPOLIS – Eli Lilly FCU has signed with The Members Group to offer the company’s new fraud text alerts to its members, a mobile banking service available to the cardholders of TMG’s clients.

JPMorgan Chase's approach to instantly issued debit cards today seems like that of many other banks — it helps checking customers get cards faster. But its future plans for the technology suggest a more ambitious goal.

Fashion and finance have a lot of overlap. Celebrity fashionistas have a growing influence on new payment products, and in turn many payment products are using trendy colors and designs to attract users.