American Express Co. is preparing for the future of payments.

The government of Oman has taken further steps to enhance access to its e-Governance initiative designed to promote cashless transactions countrywide.

GSM Kazakhstan, also known as Kcell, has become the first mobile operator in Kazakhstan to offer its customers an online system to top up their prepaid mobile-phone accounts, the company announced in a July 20 statement.

A new survey of collections and financial services executives shows that companies are being challenged by changing consumer behavior and increasing costs as they try to collect on past-due accounts - even as the economy improves.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Fidelity National Information Services reported yesterday that second quarter earnings, fueled by last year’s acquisition of Metavante Technologies, soared 52% to $89.9 million.

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. – NASA FCU announced yesterday the rollout of its free mobile banking service, allowing its members and businesses the ability to access account information, verify balances, transfer funds and locate branches and ATMs from a cell phone or smart phone.

BISMARCK, N.D. – Midwest Corporate FCU, one of the smaller of the nation’s 28 corporate credit unions, said yesterday it exploring the conversion to a member-owned CUSO because like most corporates it will find it very difficult to recapitalize under NCUA’s proposed regulations.

Kasikornbank Ltd. plans to embark on a Near-Field Communication payments trial in Thailand this month, an official from the Bangkok-based bank confirms to PaymentsSource.

Mopay Inc., a Germany-based mobile-payments company, has rolled out a service that enables online merchants to bill purchases on a consumer’s landline phone bill account.

Sterling Savings Bank has reached a deal to implement core banking software from Fidelity National Information Services Inc.

One hundred fifty credit unions have agreed to offer members a mobile banking service based on software from Fiserv Inc., including 84 that are already using it.

Banks are looking for more data to help them make lending decisions, beyond the simple matter of whether prospective borrowers pay their bills on time.

Merchants unsure about which type of merchant account would be cheaper have another tool to use when deciding between a traditional merchant account, a Square Inc. mobile account and an online PayPal account.

INDIANAPLOIS-One vendor contends that it has launched the Facebook and LinkedIn of the CU community.

SAN FRANCISCO-A study reveals that online financial-management tools drive deeper relationships, attract younger members, and return about $40 annually in additional revenue per user.

Jacksonville (Fla.) University plans to the launch an upgraded version of its campus card program next month, enabling students and faculty members to use their campus identification cards to make purchases both on and off campus, according to a July 13 announcement.

India’s HDFC Bank thus far has migrated more than 200,000 of its credit cardholders to smart cards that comply with the EMV chip-and-PIN fraud-deterring technology, an official at the Mumbai-based bank tells PaymentsSource at the condition of anonymity.

The Bank of the Philippine Islands and Globe Telecom Inc. on July 14 launched a cashierless payment service to enable the Philippines-based telecommunication operator’s subscribers who also hold accounts at the bank to pay their Globe bills using the bank’s mobile and online-banking platforms

By offering a mobile service that addresses a common need, JPMorgan Chase & Co. might also get people to use their phones for a type of payment of which few people are even aware.

Editor's Note: The following is a news release provided by the National Consumer Law Center. A link to the full report "The Debt Machine: How the Collection Industry Hounds Consumers and Overwhelms Courts," is included. Collections & Credit Risk is interested in hearing feedback from the collection and debt-buying industries. Contact Darren Waggoner at 815.463.9008 or write to darren.waggoner@sourcemedia.com. Please note if you do not want your comments published.