NEWS

New $10 Bill Coming in 2006

Following the redesigned $20 and $50 bills, the $10 bill is the next denomination in the new currency series that the U.S. Treasury will issue. The redesigned $10 note includes a security thread, watermark and color-shifting ink. The design also includes subtle background colors and symbols of freedom. The agency will issue the note in early 2006.

Triton Resumes ATM Shipments

Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Katrina hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast, ATM manufacturer Triton began its first full day open for business at both of its Long Beach, Miss. facilities.

Triton facilities received minor structural damage, and the company has restored working conditions and operations. Triton is now focused on restoring all services to customers.

E-commerce Predicted to Exceed $1 Trillion by 2012

Leadpile.com predicted that e-commerce sales will exceed $1 trillion by 2012. The company states that e-commerce sales have the potential to make up 25% of all sales in the nation by 2012, owing in part to a new "Younger Super Internet Consumer."

Consumers Insist FIs Protect Privacy, Survey Finds

Financial institutions (FIs) will face consumer repercussions if they suffer a security breach, according to the "2005 EDS Financial Services Privacy and Customer Relationship Management Survey." The survey indicates that 30% of consumers will close all accounts if their personal information is compromised. When asked how FIs could gain further trust, 83% said banks must obtain customer permission prior to releasing personal information; 67% said banks must inform customers what information they share and with whom; and 59% said banks must provide ongoing information on measures taken to increase security.

Credit Reporting Agencies Coordinate Standards

The three national credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, announced a cooperative effort to adopt coordinated encryption standards to ensure the protection of sensitive consumer data when transmitted between data furnishers and credit reporting companies. The three also established an ongoing encryption task force to ensure that the adopted standards reflect the continuing progress of technologies and methods.

Visa Launches New Brand

Visa International announced the use of Visa Commercial as a distinct brand in its portfolio to represent Visa's global payment products and information management services division geared toward businesses and government. As part of the launch of the new brand, Visa developed a new Visa Commercial brand mark for use in all corporate and regional identification and marketing communications.

CFSI Announces Grant Awards; Accepting Applications for Funding

The Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI) recently offered grants to three nonprofit organizations: Appleseed Foundation, Central Vermont

Community Action Council and Urban Insurance Partners Institute. CFSI is still accepting applications for investment in for-profit companies. For more information on the investment and grant program, visit www.cfsinnovation.com/investment.php .

ANNOUNCEMENTS

CardLogix Joins SCA Leadership Council

Smart card manufacturer CardLogix joined the Leadership Council of the Smart Card Alliance. A general member since 2003, CardLogix now takes a larger role in shaping alliance policy and activities. CardLogix is also a member of the Alliance's Healthcare Council and its Secure Personal ID Task Force.

CheckFree Achieves SWIFT Accreditation

CheckFree Software has been awarded the SWIFTReady corporate actions label for CheckFree eVent, the company's automated workflow solution for corporate actions. SWIFT is an industry-owned cooperative supplying secure, standardized messaging services and interface software to more than 7,800 FIs in over 200 countries.

Critical Watch Approved

Critical Watch's FusionVM Enterprise Vulnerability Management solution successfully completed compliance testing under MasterCard International's Site Data Protection Program. This validates and approves FusionVM as a compliant scanning vendor for organizations seeking compliance under the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard.

ICE Adds ISO Partner

International Card Establishment Inc. (ICE) enrolled an additional ISO in its ISO Rep Program by entering into an exclusive agreement for all the ISO's credit card processing requirements. The agreement with the unnamed California-based ISO represents the fifth new member of its ISO Rep Program. It is the largest ISO that ICE has signed to date. This ISO should immediately increase the company's new merchant account applications by approximately 40% on a monthly basis.

Evacuees Receive Free Bank Accounts and Debit Cards

The company indiGOCARD is providing free instant bank accounts and debit cards to Hurricane Katrina evacuees with no application fees or bank service fees attached. IndiGOCARD's services are available to any Katrina evacuee at any location throughout the nation. Hurricane evacuees apply by calling indiGOCARD customer service at 888-463-4469. Once evacuees become established, they can continue banking with indiGOCARD or choose other options.

PARTNERSHIPS

Aliant Selects Morgan Beaumont

Aliant Financial Services Inc. named Morgan Beaumont Inc. as its exclusive provider of stored value/debit card retail merchant prospects. Aliant is a registered ISO of JPMorgan Chase Bank. Aliant will be the transaction processing provider to Morgan Beaumont's network of approved retail merchant customers that selected Aliant as their provider of equipment and services. Each merchant will also receive an initial order of Morgan Beaumont stored value debit cards.

Coinamatic Selects Hypercom

Coinamatic, Canada's largest multihousing laundry route operator, agreed to purchase Hypercom Corp.'s new T7Plus credit/debit card terminals for use with its SmartCity smart card platform. SmartCity is Canada's largest reloadable smart card system. The agreement marks the first use of Hypercom's terminals on Moneris Solutions' network, Canada's largest debit and credit card transaction processing system. It is also the first time the T7Plus terminal received security certification from the Interac Association that governs Canada's national debit service.

Maverick Partners With MagTek

Maverick International partnered with MagTek Inc. to offer a series of imaging solutions. Maverick interfaced its Simple Image and OXBO software with MagTek's Excella, a MICR check reader and dual-sided scanner. OXBO allows for check and document scanning, MICR read and repair, cash detail reports, DVD/CD archival, networking, and database administration.

HSBC Offers PayPass

HSBC Bank USA N.A. began issuing new debit cards that feature MasterCard PayPass contactless payment technology. The bank expects to issue approximately 1 million cards through the end of 2005. HSBC will be the first bank to completely reissue its debit cards to include PayPass.

Metris to Issue Discover Card

Metris Companies Inc. and Discover Financial Services LLC signed an agreement under which Metris will launch a new credit card on the Discover Network. Metris is the 11th-largest bankcard issuer in the United States. Metris subsidiary Direct Merchants Credit Card Bank N.A. will issue the card, which will be available by the end of 2005.

Official Payments to Provide Electronic Payments to Virginia Beach

The city of Virginia Beach authorized Official Payments Corp. to process electronic credit and debit card payments for personal and real estate property taxes, utilities and parking ticket obligations. Virginia Beach residents may make payments online or via phone.

Paradata Systems Partners With AmbironTrustWave

Paradata Systems Inc. partnered with AmbironTrustWave to offer security advisory services for Internet merchants to ensure that their systems meet PCI Security standards. Paradata now offers AmbironTrustWave security and compliance products and services to merchants of all sizes.

RDM Joins P&H Storefront Program

RDM Corp. joined P&H Solutions' Storefront program. P&H Solutions will integrate RDM's Image and Transaction Management System (ITMS) into its Web Cash Manager Suite to provide a check electronification solution that encompasses both accounts receivable and Check 21 capabilities. ITMS is a Web-based check processing service that facilitates the electronic deposit and settlement of payments received by check.

Transmodus Partners With iTransact

Transmodus signed an agreement to provide iTransact with automated secondary collections as part of the iTransact Payment Solutions Gateway. The on-demand functionality will provide iTransact clients with the option to use bilingual automated collections processing as a precursor to conventional in-house or out-sourced collections. The service applies to collections for returned checks, past due bills and unpaid balances.

Credit Union Selects Princeton eCom

Space Coast Credit Union chose Princeton eCom to provide its PayAnyone solution to process payments for the credit union's online banking service. The costs of handling claims will be reduced through Princeton eCom's Real-time Digital Scanline that validates billing information as the payor enters the data.

VeriFone and McAfee Deliver Antivirus Solution

VeriFone and McAfee Inc. released McAfee VirusScan Mobile for Verix virus protection for the POS. McAfee VirusScan Mobile for Verix will provide real-time monitoring and attack pattern update services for VeriFone Internet-connected payment solutions at the POS. The virus protection software is currently offered on the Omni 3750 Ethernet-enabled payment solution. It will be available on all Internet protocol-enabled systems using the Verix and Verix V operating systems in the future.

U.S. Airline Signs Agreement With Western Union

American Airlines signed an agreement with Western Union Financial Services Inc., a subsidiary of First Data Corp., to accept payment for airfare in cash at more than 46,000 United States-based Western Union locations after tickets are reserved online at www.aa.com or by phone with American Airlines reservation representatives. The service is available for a Western Union service fee of $14.95.

ACQUISITIONS

Radiant to Acquire MenuLink

Radiant Systems Inc. plans to acquire MenuLink Computer Solutions Inc., supplier of back-office software for the hospitality industry. The acquisition is expected to close early fourth quarter of 2005.

TNB Buys Credit Card Program

TNB Card Services purchased the credit card portfolio of Sterlent Credit Union and will operate the card programs through its agent issuer organization. This latest acquisition brings the number of portfolios that TNB has bought since it began the agent card-issuing program in late 2002 to nearly 70.

APPOINTMENTS

Global Payments Appoints Abruzzio

Global Payments Inc. appointed Tony Abruzzio to Vice President of U.S. Merchant Product Solutions. Abruzzio most recently served as Senior Vice President and General Manager for VeriFone. Previously he spent six years as Executive Vice President and General Manager with GO Software. He currently serves as Chairman of the Technology Committee for the Electronic Transactions Association; he has also been a member of The Green Sheet Advisory Board.

First Data Names CTO

First Data named David Dibble its Chief Technology Officer. Prior to joining First Data, Dibble served as Managing Director in the JPMorgan Chase technology organization.

Hypercom Names Handley VP

Hypercom appointed Diane M. Handley to Vice President of Global Human Resources. Handley has more than 20 years of business experience in human resource management; she had been serving as Manager of Compensation and Training.

Immediately prior to joining Hypercom, Handley was Manager of Pension Plans at CSX Corp. Prior to this, she served as Compensation Consultant at Pinnacle West Capital Corp.

Abanco Announces New Senior Executive

Abanco International LLC appointed Marty Skolnick to Chief Operating Officer and Vice President, Operations. Among his duties is overseeing the ISO/agent team. He brings more than 20 years of operations and client services experience.

Serving most recently as Executive Vice President at Concord Payment Systems, Skolnick directed operations, finance, human resources, client services, IT and the independent sales office. Prior to Concord, he served as Director, POS Services at IGT Services Inc. and held various positions with Global Payment Systems.

Weber Takes Over as Pago CEO

Dr. Markus Weber was named Chief Executive Officer of Pago eTransaction Services GmbH. From 2000 until his move to Pago, Weber was a Director for Corporate Development at the Deutsche Bank.

He became Chief Financial Officer of Pago in 2001 and has since been responsible for Finance, Operations, IT and Risk Management Services. Weber takes over as CEO thereby adding Product Management, Customer Care, Sales and Marketing to his responsibilities.