The plethora of new mobile payment initiatives – the most recent being the mobile wallet project announced by Google, Citi, MasterCard, First Data and Sprint – can be confusing for banks. What mobile payment technologies make the most sense for a financial institution to offer? In a recent interview with Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance, he handicapped the three versions of near-field communication mobile payment technology that standards bodies have approved. [Near-field communication is a short-range wireless connectivity technology that enables short-range communication between electronic devices, and it’s the mechanism most companies are choosing to pursue mobile payments.] The differences between the three versions hinge on who controls the security of the mobile payments by controlling the “secure element” that stores cardholder credentials and account data and communicates with the apps.

Tyfone Inc. has received a patent for programming add-on smart cards in a mobile phone to function as a payment account.

PASADENA, Calif. – Wescom Resources Group said yesterday it signed with Share One to integrate and market WRG's MemberEdge Mobile Banking solution to Share One's credit union clients nationwide.

HERNDON, Va. – Northwest FCU said it signed with nearby Online Resources Corp. for advanced online banking and bill payment solutions.

The buzz around person-to-person payments has long been claimed by rival upstarts such as PayPal Inc., but banks are striking back, as evidenced by the ClearXChange consortium.

Barclaycard has retooled a contactless-payments television advertisement to feature use of a mobile phone to make payments in a move that could help to raise awareness of the technology in the United Kingdom. The ad first appeared June 4 during the finale of the popular television show “Britain’s Got Talent.”

MADISON, Wis.-Summit Credit Union has re-launched its website at www.summitcreditunion.com as a social networking channel. Based on research conducted among its target audience (women and young adults), SCU said it designed the site with a holistic approach.

SAINT PAUL, Minn.-Electronic content management (ECM) at Affinity Plus FCU here isn't about making or saving money; instead, the past decade has delivered a sea change in operations and member service across 24 branches.

SAINT PAUL, Minn.-Paper remains pervasive at Affinity Plus FCU here, despite 10 years of electronic content management at the $2.3-billion CU, observed Keith Malbrue, COO.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn.-ORNL FCU here is unleashing the power of its core processing system by inviting the credit union's business experts into the backroom with IT.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn.-In previous years, ORNL FCU here was too busy "growing like gangbusters" to take advantage of core system upgrades, said Michael McKnight, VP and CTO. "We were busy with the day-to-day and always playing catch-up with software enhancements."

TOLEDO, Ohio-A good IT manager knows the credit union's systems inside and out-and "that scares the living daylights out of me," admits Rick Haas, CEO at $45-million ProMedica FCU here.

TOLEDO, Ohio-Employees at ProMedica FCU here like to use Facebook on business computers during breaks, which is worrisome because social media sites are a haven for hackers, said Rick Haas, CEO. But Haas said he has found a way around the threat.

DAVENPORT, Iowa-Tellers Stephanie Holmes and Emily Wilson at The Family CU here surely turn heads. They wear fuchsia t-shirts emblazoned with curious barcodes.

LAKE JACKSON, Texas-No cobwebs on the mobile banking applications at Texas Dow Employees CU (TDECU) here. Members get real-time rates on their Android and Apple devices. Marketing can instantly flash up-to-the-minute new banner ads. No waiting for a vendor or application carrier to deliver the content.

CHARLOTTE, N.C.-The computer network runs at breakneck speed at Charlotte Metro Credit Union here: 100 employees across seven branches can work quickly even while application and file data are backed-up in real time to the disaster recovery site.

CHARLOTTE, N.C.-David Cooper said he likes that his new WAN accelerator optimizes data at the network level rather than at the application level. In fact, the Silver Peak NX is the only major appliance on the market that works at the network level, said Cooper, VP-information systems, Charlotte Metro CU here.

CHARLOTTE, N.C.-New WAN accelerators allow Charlotte Metro CU here to watch what employees are doing on the network, according to David Cooper, VP-information systems.

Gift and loyalty services company SparkBase LLC is using $3 million in new funding to hasten the development and deployment of its technology platform and mobile services, which includes a smartphone application that enables consumers to quickly enroll in merchant-loyalty programs.

Regions Financial Corp. may not be the only bank planning to buy back its credit card portfolio now that the worst of the recession’s damage is receding, according to one expert who tracks credit card portfolio sales.