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environments during the course of a year and, although a noncompliance fee to those poor business owners just
they may know about PCI, they don't always use trying to make a living.
compliant third parties.
I then told the business owner, "Now, however, I can
sleep. FirstMerit has done everything we can. We've tried,
Tip 7: Commitment to program, company failed and succeeded. We've educated, communicated and
and self prospered. My merchants can't say we didn't educate them
about security and try to assist in every way possible."
If I had one wish regarding data security, my wish would
be that everyone in the payments industry would care I am proud of my organization and my team, and pleased
enough to do the right thing. Acquirers should stop relying to be rooted with a PCI compliance vendor that cares about
on insurance and noncompliance fees and begin PCI data security as much as we do. We have an excellent
compliance programs to protect merchants and the entire partnership with our clients and our vendor, as well as
payments industry.
support from senior management.
Acquirers should stop circumventing requirements through Even though I consider our PCI program a success, I haven't
down-scoping, and merchants should take PCI seriously as abandoned my original compliance goal of 98 percent. We
a protection for their businesses.
haven't given up on data security, and you shouldn't either
because successful portfolio compliance isn't a myth. We're
Before our PCI program really took off, a business owner proof of that.
asked me how I slept at night. I answered him with,
"Honestly, for the first year, I didn't." I recalled how,
during that time, I couldn't bear the thought of a merchant Michelle Thompson is Vice President, Merchant Fraud/Risk Officer
caught in a data breach when the individual had no idea at FirstMerit Bank. She manages both the PCI program and
about compliance. I couldn't bear the thought of charging Risk Mitigation for FirstMerit Acquiring. She can be reached at
michelle.thompson@firstmerit.com or 330-849-8937.

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