As the head of one of the nation's largest microlenders, Gina Harman is leading the charge to expand the availability of credit to underserved communities in this country.

Visa Inc.’s announcement Monday that this summer it will expand its “No Signature Required” program for magnetic stripe card transactions less than $25 to the majority of merchants could create yet another setback for contactless-payment growth in the United States, some observers say.

Target Corp. customers now may store gift card data electronically and make payments at the point of sale using their mobile phones.

U.S. job openings rose in December to 2.5 million from 2.4 million a month earlier, and the number of unemployed workers fell 73,000 to 15.3 million, according to the Labor Department in its monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey.

Financial companies, discovering that people who bank by phone don't always bank online, are changing how they look at mobile services.

HARTFORD, Conn. – American Eagle FCU yesterday announced it has signed a multi-year agreement for its retail and business suites of customizable Internet banking, bill payment and other services.

Electronic-payment services provider Network for Electronic Transfers (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., known as NETS, has launched a mobile-payment option for its cashless-payment service iNETS, according to a company statement. The service will enable consumers in Singapore to pay bills, make purchases and book tickets using their mobile phones.

ROSEVILLE, Mich.-Account openings went through the roof at Christian Financial CU (CFCU) here after a new dashboard tool triggered fierce sales competition between employees.

TROY, Mich.-Credit unions need at least a basic computing infrastructure to benefit from iDashboards, said Dave Ferguson, the firm's director of business development.

CHICAGO-Alliant Credit Union here wants to get its hands on the latest in risk management technology-tools that pull data from every business unit at the CU and that consider the spectrum of risk, namely operational, credit and market.

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla.-Credit unions have tried to drive lobby-lovers to the virtual branch for years, under the assumption that online members are the most profitable - but in six months, Power Financial CU here will have the data it needs to confirm or dispel that theory.

MUSKEGON, Mich.-Person-to-person payment services are popping up suddenly at hundreds of online and mobile banking sites, despite relatively low consumer adoption, according to a leading bill pay provider - meanwhile, a $44-million CU here has offered the service to members for more than four years.

SAN JOSE, Calif.-Conditions are perfect for an avalanche of data theft this year as hundreds of credit unions deploy mobile banking services and hackers hit mobile devices for usernames and passwords.

DAVENPORT, Iowa-As more members bank by mobile phone as well as by personal computer, Credit Union Journal asked CUs: which approach poses the greatest risk?

PORT NECHES, Texas-Mobile banking risk can be minimized: members should be reminded to use strong passwords on their mobile devices; refrain from leaving mobile devices and passwords unguarded; and be aware of the relative security of the network they use to transfer data, said Jason Duplant, marketing director at $286-million Neches FCU.

TOLEDO, Ohio-The $40-million ProMedica FCU here a has broken the shackles of a basic core system, embracing a "deluxe" data processing platform that offers all the built-in options, including mobile and Internet banking, said Rick Haas, president.

Hypercom Corp. will provide more than 12,000 PIN pads with EMV contactless card readers to European retailer Carrefour, the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based point-of-sale terminal maker announced Thursday.

The city of Jakarta soon plans to deploy a prepaid electronic-ticketing system called JakCard for its bus and train networks, an official from the Indonesian city’s transport authority tells PaymentsSource. The Jakarta Transportation Agency says it developed the contactless smart card system in collaboriation with Jakarta-based Bank DKI, bus operator BLU Transjakarta and PT KAI Commuter Jabodetabek.

Some bus passengers in the Vietnamese capital of Ho Chi Minh City soon will be able to pay their fares using a contactless smart card as part of test of the technology, an official from the city’s transport authority tells PaymentsSource.

Indian Overseas Bank has launched its first mobile ATM as part of its drive to expand access to the institution’s services, an official from the Chennai, India-based bank tells PaymentsSource.