For the sixth straight quarter the TransUnion proprietary “Credit Risk Index” (CRI) dropped in 2Q/11. The 2Q/11 CRI was down 1.9% to 121.22 by 234-basis points from 123.56 in the year ago period as consumers continue to pay down their outstanding debt and avoid delinquency. Except for Massachusetts and Vermont, every state experienced at least…
Diebold introducing its new concept virtualized ATM at the VMworld 2011. The virtualized ATM prototype was developed in collaboration with VMware, removing the onboard computer from the ATM, tying each terminal in a fleet to a centralized computing resource. In this scenario, the physical components of a single server provide resources to many “virtual” ATMs. This consolidates and shares resources throughout a self-service network and across delivery channels. Consolidation allows the establishment of a single secure datacenter, allowing for greater control and a secure location for IP addresses. Through better server utilization and unification of ATM management, virtualization will also boost operational efficiency, enable faster failure recovery and more rapid software upgrades and services deployment. In short, virtualization will lead to a lower total cost of ownership and increased ATM uptime.
Warehouse Market deployed the NCR “RealPOS 80XRT” POS terminals and the NCR “RealPOS” High Performance Bi-Optic Scanner/Scale at 16 locations to improve its POS operations. The NCR technology will help Warehouse Market employees optimize the customer experience by reducing downtime and customer wait times at checkout. This is meant to improve transaction speeds, minimize transaction delays and upgrade its POS hardware, enabling the company to take advantage of next-generation POS applications, such as digital promotions and advanced reporting capabilities. The NCR “RealPOS 80XRT” has been built to support high-traffic retail environments and withstand constant use. Additionally, the NCR RealPOS 80XRT has been designed with readily-accessible components, facilitating easy and fast service and upgrades.
Datacard Group secure ID and card personalization solutions introduced its software and hardware security enhancements to help financial card issuers comply with security audits such as the PCI-DSS. This provides a software security patch management service, a full suite of Identity Access Management (IAM) features, and options to increase physical security for the Datacard “MX Series” card issuance systems. Datacard Group offers patch validation and management”a software service in which Datacard tests all relevant security patches from Microsoft Corporation before they are deployed to the field. Once the new software patches are added to the MX Series systems, the systems will support security requirements with no interruption or slowing of the card production process.
Through its “Our World, Our Family” initiative, Western Union announced a multi-faceted package of support to respond to the current humanitarian crisis in East Africa. Consumers and global non-profit organizations, Western Union and the Western Union Foundation will contribute up to US$750,000 to several groups working to ease the suffering in affected countries across East Africa. Global experts have referred to the crisis in East Africa as the most serious food insecurity situation in the world while several countries in the region have been devastated by cyclical drought, leaving millions of East Africans in the grip of starvation and forcing the displacement of hundreds of thousands who can no longer survive in their home communities.
Alaric payments and enterprise fraud detection systems announced the next generation of its “Fractals 3.7” enterprise fraud management solution. The “Fractals version 3.7” includes a host of new features designed to improve enterprise-wide fraud detection, increase governance and compliance, and streamline fraud and risk analyst activities. The PA-DSS certified fraud detection and prevention software is a multi-institution, multi-lingual approach to enterprise fraud detection, allowing financial institutions, processors and retailers across the globe to deploy a holistic fraud management solution at an enterprise level. Recent enhancements provide self learning detection models to improve detection rates by up to 20%; enable holistic rules; and user-specified variables which are defined dynamically.
IronKey named Mark Schulte as CFO and ex-Symantec marketing exec Ajay Nigam senior vice president, product management. Schulte will be responsible for financial management and corporate accounting. Nigam will lead IronKey’s product management and strategy team. Schulte was VP, finance and CFO for Right90 on-demand software provider acquired by Trilogy/Versata. He focused on scaling the company by optimizing its subscription-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model. Ajay Nigam joined IronKey from the Symantec Services Group as VP, service product management, having launched solutions that combined hybrid services delivery with a mix of on-premise and in-the-cloud solutions. He also held leadership positions at VeriSign, Mossbeach Technology and Hughes Software Systems.
Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) introduced its service to allow its clients to accept 85 different online payment types from their customers globally. With SVB’s Global Treasury Platform, companies that sell their products and services globally, can collect payments in foreign currencies, and automatically deposit those funds into their SVB multi-currency or in-country accounts. SVB’s card processing services are provided through Merchant e-Solutions and Adyen, its international card processing partner. SVB clients now have the ability to accept electronic payments in local payment methods, such as credit or debit cards, PayPal, iDEAL, and Dankort among many others, in countries across Europe, North America, South America and Asia. With enhanced merchant services from SVB, companies will also reduce processing expenses and cross-border fees, at the same time covering PCI (payment card industry) compliance requirements.
The Bank of America Charitable Foundation announced a $250,000 commitment to support the American Red Cross Disaster Fund for the 2011 hurricane season. This is now underway with relief response to Hurricane Irene that impacted states from North Carolina to New England. In addition, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation will match employee donations to relief efforts through the bank’s Matching Gifts program.
Citadel EFT credit card terminals and online, mail order, and retail credit card processing services is offering iPhone, Android, BlackBerry swipes & credit card processing terminal machines free. Citadel EFT has sold terminals and credit card software, and recently iPhone, Android and BlackBerry swipes, free. Until September 25, 2011, the Company is waiving the normal $10 monthly fee for the life of the service for wireless applications. Citadel EFT is also organizing affiliate sites so that people can make a business out of referring their friends, family and associates and receive a $250 referral fee. Processing Rates are at 1.1% for debit, 1.6% for credit and 0% for debit with pin with no monthly fees.
Fiserv financial services technology announced TruStone Financial Federal Credit Union implemented its “Acumen” account processing solution. This was thanks in most part to the advanced, open architecture of the solution, its ability to deliver efficiencies and automation, and the availability of a broad portfolio of integrated ancillary solutions. The stability of Fiserv, the largest provider of business-driven technology solutions for credit unions, also played a key role in their decision. TruStone Financial will also deploy 15 value-added solutions from Fiserv including Corillian Online(R) for online banking, ZashPay(R) for person-to-person payments, CheckFree(R) RXP(R) for bill pay, AccountCreate(SM) for online account opening, Mobiliti(TM) for mobile banking, ConvergeIT(R): IVR for audio response, Item Processing Solutions for check processing, Nautilus(R) for document imaging, AML Manager for managing risk, Prologue(TM) for accounting, Profit360(TM) for member relationship management, Next Multi-Channel Marketing for cross selling, LynxGate(R) for ATM management, WebLoan for online lending, WireXchange(R) for wire transfer processing, statement processing and risk and compliance solutions.
SafeNet information security “eToken PRO,” “eToken PRO Anywhere” and “eToken NG-FLASH Anywhere” certificate-based authentication token devices completed compliance certification from IdenTrust trusted identity solutions and digital identity authentication. As financial services firms look to expand eBanking applications and services amidst a climate of ongoing risks and threats, they require solutions that can extend from verification of identities to layered protection for transaction security and digital signing, as well as back-end transaction validation and processing. The IdenTrust certification of SafeNet’s industry-leading certificate-based authentication solutions and HSMs now provides global financial institutions with interoperable, standards-based options required to build a complete identity and transaction protection strategy and ecosystem.