Discover Financial Services is going into the new year in a relatively stronger position than it was a year ago, helped by the improving economy and by recent key strategic moves it has made, a new report suggests.

Technology advancements can sometimes feel like they are occurring at lightning speed. Trying to keep up with the latest and greatest keeps us busy.

Vantage Credit Union of St. Louis says it has dramatically improved customer engagement by enabling members to access the Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. social-media websites from within online banking. Those who access Facebook and Twitter through its online-banking tool spend twice as much time on the credit union’s website as the users who do not.

Think Computer Corp. has introduced a digital-coupon system integrated into its mobile-payments application that relies on facial recognition to confirm a user’s identity at the point of sale to help combat payment fraud.

Visa Inc. unveiled its new special offers mobile payment app, placing it in a crowded market for merchant perks that also includes a major push by rival MasterCard Worldwide.

Snapper Services Ltd. has become the latest organization to join the new “super ticket” system planned for Auckland, New Zealand’s public transport system, the integrated ticketing provider announced Dec. 16.

As major financial services providers sever ties to WikiLeaks, a little-known alternative payments startup in the U.K. has stood by the embattled organization.

The company behind the popular mobile-phone game Angry Birds is adding a payment option using a model that has gained traction in recent months with U.S.-based wireless operators.

Because such open-platform payment providers as Pay Pal Inc., IP Commerce Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Ixaris Systems Ltd. are moving into new markets such as mobile commerce to provide secure payment systems to merchants, they should carefully monitor their susceptibility to fraud risk and potential market changes, a new report suggests.

Dead phone batteries. Wrong merchant terminals. Terminals turned off. Terminals unrepaired. No terminals at all.

As credit card portfolio health continues to improve and consumer spending gradually picks up, card issuers are poised to see the first increase in overall credit card receivables next year, Moody’s Investors Service predicts in a Dec. 21 report.

An Ingenico S.A. board member reportedly contends a takeover bid for the France-based point-of-sale terminal maker could be renewed.

Citibank Korea Inc. is working with South Korea-based telecommunication operator KT Corp. to launch a free mobile wallet for its credit cardholders called Citi Mobile Card, the issuer announced Dec. 21.

Debt buyer Portfolio Recovery Associates' shares reached a 52-week high on Friday, with stock trading as high as $76.80. The stock previously had closed at $74.20. At mid-day on Monday, the stock was trading at $76.17.

The Federal Reserve Board on Wednesday approved an interim rule amending Regulation Z, which implements the Truth in Lending Act (TILA).

Only two of the 2,150 U.S. credit unions with credit card receivables of $1 million or more sold portfolios during the third quarter ended Sept. 30, as many buyers still remain wary about overall credit union health, according to AssetExchange, a Portland, Ore.-based credit union card broker.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a final rule Dec. 21 to move to electronic payments instead of checks for federal benefits and nontax payments.

The purported functions supported by Apple Inc.’s often-rumored iPhone 5 could greatly impact the NFC-enabled smartphone market over the next two years, suggests a report released Dec. 15 by Mercator Advisory Group.

Heathrow Express has launched a free mobile-phone application designed to enable consumers to purchase train tickets and receive them directly to their phones, the United Kingdom-based train company reported Dec. 16.

An advertising company that offers Facebook Inc. credits to users who buy certain products says it has expanded its reach to more than 80 million users.