With preferences for carrying and using cash continuing to drop, more consumers expect merchants to accept debit or credit cards for payment. But not all merchants do, especially those that lack physical storefronts. Some industry insiders believe mobile-based products might help encourage them to accept electronic payments.

To reduce the cost to distribute financial-aid checks, North Central Missouri College in January began depositing the funds into students’ campus card accounts. Since making the change, the school not only has saved money, “but we haven’t had any negative feedback, especially because students now have access to their money quicker,” Sharon Barnett, the college’s vice president of administrative services, tells PaymentsSource.

Automated Collection Control Inc. (also known as “YGC” and “YouveGotClaims”) announced that President and CEO Warren S. Rosenfeld, Esq. has stepped down from the positions to pursue other opportunities within and outside the collection industry.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. has hired a PayPal Inc. veteran to help guide its mobile strategy.

Mowasalat Transportation Co. has signed an agreement with Turkey-based information-technology services provider KentKart to introduce an automated fare-collection system on public buses in Qatar, a spokesperson for the government-owned transportation agency tells PaymentsSource.

The city of Pune, India, has begun offering residents a contactless smart card they can use for small purchases at participating merchants in Pune and in nearby communities.

ATLANTA – Delta Community CU has introduced its own mobile banking program, which it said will provide both consumer and business services members with convenient and secure access to real-time account information through their cell phones, smart phones, PDAs or other mobile devices.

ATLANTA – Delta Community CU has introduced its own mobile banking program, which it said will provide both consumer and business services members with convenient and secure access to real-time account information through their cell phones, smart phones, PDAs or other mobile devices.

Nokia Corp.’s decision last week to include an NFC chip in every one of its smart phones starting next year finally could help move the technology from scattered worldwide pilots to a major rollout and widespread consumer adoption, observers say.

Square Inc. co-founder Jack Dorsey remains confident in the payments startup’s future despite mounting frustration among some early customers over delays in the processing service and the revelation last week of a further lag in availability.

KT Corp. expects soon to buy a stake in Korean credit card issuer BC Card Co., Korea’s second-largest mobile carrier announced June 16.

SPRINGFIELD, Colo. – Peoples CU has selected TRC Interactive to provide it with online instruction through CreditUnionTrainingOnline for its credit union-wide training needs.

PayPal Inc. is beginning its second contest to encourage third-party software developers to create applications that tie into its payment system.

Mobile payments have yet to take off domestically, but NACHA is positioning the automated clearing house network to play a prominent role, if and when they do.

Commuters in Warsaw, Poland, may use MasterCard PayPass cards as part of a transit-agency test of contactless-payment acceptance for the purchase of transit cards, according to On Track Innovations Ltd., a technology company this is providing contactless-payment readers for the test.

Nokia Corp. plans to include a Near Field Communication chip in every one of its smart phones next year, the handset maker announced June 17 at a conference sponsored by the Mobey Forum, a Finland-based mobile-payments trade association.

Commuters on the newly launched Gautrain train network may use only prepaid contactless cards to access the transit system, a spokesperson for the Gauteng Department of Transport tells PaymentsSource.

PayPal Inc. and Singapore’s Infocomm Development Authority, a government agency, have inked a mobile-payments deal, according to Rahul Shinghal, regional head of mobile product for PayPal Asia Pacific.

Socialwise Inc. said three sports retailers plan to accept and promote its BillMyParents online payment system.

First Federal Savings Bank is doing something different from other banks that issue contactless payment stickers. It's doing something pink.