Several of the biggest credit card issuers in December posted their lowest rates for chargeoffs than in any other month of 2010, meaning fewer accounts are slipping into default.

Gemalto NV is participating in a Near Field Communication payment pilot in Japan that launches this quarter, the France-based technology provider announced Jan. 18.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – PSCU Financial Services on Tuesday said it has resigned with Fiserv to offer the company’s CheckFree RXP through its PayLynx online bill payment service.

WASHINGTON – E&P FCU said it signed with EasCorp FCU’s Vertifi Software LLC CUSO to offer Vertifi’s DeposZip remote deposit capture solution to its members.

MasterCard Worldwide will be the exclusive brand of the Transport for London’s Oyster card wallet as the international card brand hopes to raise consumer awareness of its PayPass contactless-payment service, MasterCard announced Jan. 17.

The average U.S. bankcard charge-off rate in December declined 144 basis points to 6.73% from 8.17% a year earlier, according to data Standard & Poor’s Ratings Group and ExperianPLC released Jan. 18.

Netherlands-based RePay International Ltd. and Chinese loyalty-management company China Rewards Pvt. Ltd. jointly plan to introduce the ClimaCount Card Scheme, a carbon-offset program, to the Chinese market, the two companies announced on Jan. 11.

Punjab & Sind Bank Ltd. has awarded a contract to HCL Infosystems Ltd. to provide smart card technology support for a rural financial-inclusion project, according to a regulatory filing by the state-owned bank.

Person-to-person payment services increasingly are becoming available, but most consumers are using them to substitute check use to pay bills to small businesses instead of to exchange funds with other individuals, such as when splitting a dinner check, new research suggests.

As business lending begins to show some vigor, fainter signs of life have cropped up in other credit categories.

Discover Financial Services' execution of its long-expected "mobile wallet" will define its role in mobile commerce, a future where consumers make contactless payments with their cell phones and receive wireless deals as they enter stores. "Unlike existing mobile technologies that are transactional in nature, the mobile wallet truly facilitates mobile commerce," predicts Gloria Colgan, Discover's svp of emerging payments.

TAMPA, Fla. – Florida Central CU last week said it signed with Connect Financial Software Solutions to implement the company’s Online Financial Management and person-to-person payment solutions.

MALVERN, Penn.-Framework's case-management and permissions features allow SchoolsFirst to control which employees see confidential data, said Eric Snyder, Akcelerant's EVP-business development.

MARION, Ohio — Video overlay may entice people to spend more time at a website, according to Lyle Heller, VP at CU-VO.

MARION, Ohio — Visit the website at Marion Community CU here during any of several holidays, and a friendly employee will pop up on video to greet you.

ESPOO, Finland — After making its "Angry Birds" the dominant game on two mobile platforms, developer Rovio Mobile Ltd. is taking flight in a new line: payments.

SANTA ANA, Calif. — Delinquent borrowers are changing their ways, thanks to a change in collections systems and management at SchoolsFirst FCU here.

RADCLIFF, Ky. — With more than 5,500 "friends," Fort Knox FCU here is the most popular credit union on Facebook.

WESTFIELD, N.Y. — The online lending system at Inner Lakes FCU here sells more than twice as much credit and GAP insurance as the CU's three loan officers combined.

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia CU here watches members as they bank online and immediately shows them offers that match their transaction activity.