FreshDirect MasterPass
FreshDirect and MasterCard have inked a deal today to enable the online fresh food grocer to accept MasterPass.
U.S Chip & PIN
The campaign by retailers to prod the card networks and banks to move to total Chip & PIN in the U.S. and away from Chip & SIG is gaining more traction. A group of nine attorneys general dispatched a letter to the nation’s top credit card companies and banks.
CardFellow & MPI
CT-based CardFellow has inked payment processor Mercantile Processing as a certified-quote provider.
Elan & People’s United
Elan Financial Services launches a new credit card partnership with People’s United Bank. The deal provides a full suite of MasterCard-branded products with valuable reward options to the bank’s customers as well as access to enhanced payment technologies, such as digital wallets and real-time activity alerts.
Commerce Cobrands
Commerce Bank has come together to offer Rewards credit card programs with more than ten organizations across the country. A regional bank with dual headquarters in St. Louis and Kansas City, Commerce continues to expand its co-brand credit card portfolio at a national level and establishing relationships in new markets.
Street Credit
VantageScore Solutions has unveiled a new series of consumer-education videos, addressing questions and concerns raised by real-world consumers.
Merit-Based Lending
Due to a heavy reliance on FICO scores by financial insitutions, a new generation of financially responsible people who are just getting started in the workforce and who may have short credit histories or large student loans are being overlooked by traditional financial institutions.
First Data Appoints New CMO
Gretchen H. Garrigues has joined First Data as chief marketing officer to lead the company’s global marketing efforts. Garrigues comes to First Data with a deep financial services background and leadership skills developed over a long career with GE Capital. She served as senior managing director of global strategic marketing, responsible for strategic planning, new product development, market intelligence and customer insights. SHe also served as a foreign trade officer for the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service based in Paris, after running a successful startup venture providing language training and translation services across Europe.
Citizens Introduces Mobile Check Deposit and Balance-Viewing Features
Citizens Financial launched more user friendly mobile access. Use of mobile video camera technology improves on mobile check deposit functionality, with higher-quality images that make it easy for Citizens Bank and Charter One customers to deposit checks with their iPhone®, iPad® and Android™ devices. Customers can also now view account balances on mobile devices without logging in. The Citizens “Bank Better” enhancements that expand mobile banking functionality for Citizens Bank and Charter One customers – mobile check deposits and fast account balances. Both enhancements use industry-leading technology designed to deliver increased customer convenience. CFG’s mobile check deposits capture check images using a mobile device’s video camera. The check image is captured using the mobile device’s video camera and leverages built-in components to provide real-time feedback to the customer. The Citizens Bank and Charter One Mobile Banking App proactively instructs the customer to make needed corrections like holding the device steady, turning on the flash or getting closer to or pulling back from the check. Once all conditions are met, the video camera automatically takes the picture.
Fiserv Collaborates on Next-Generation Banking Apps
Fiserv and the University of Connecticut School of Business announced that Fiserv is participating in the university’s Financial Accelerator Program to help educate students and foster innovation. UConn MBA students are now collaborating with area business leaders from Fiserv and two of its clients, the Savings Bank of Danbury and Greylock Federal Credit Union, to explore how financial institutions can attract and serve Gen Y consumers using state-of-the-art banking technology. This also introduces UConn MBA students to the DNA™ account processing platform from Fiserv. DNA is a modern, enterprise-wide software platform that is relied upon by hundreds of banks and credit unions, including Savings Bank of Danbury and Greylock FCU, for transaction processing, data management and customer relationship management. DNA offers a unique development toolkit – DNAcreator™ – that allows users to create seamlessly integrated applications called DNAapps™ that extend the platform in new and powerful ways. At the conclusion of the Financial Accelerator Program, UConn students will present a business case for creating a new DNAapp that DNA users like Savings Bank of Danbury and Greylock FCU can use to enhance the millennial banking experience.
OceanFirst Selects NCR
OceanFirst Bank has chosen ATM software and hardware solutions from NCR Corporation in order to deliver an omnichannel banking experience. OceanFirst Bank’s online and mobile banking experience is provided by Digital Insight, the leading provider of digital banking services, which NCR acquired in January 2014. OceanFirst Bank will install more than 20 NCR SelfServ ATMs with scalable deposit module (SDM). SDM allows bank customers to deposit cash and checks in a mixed bunch and as a single transaction to make deposits significantly twice as fast as typical ATM deposits. In addition, the bank will install NCR marketing software, including APTRA Connections, Promote and Exchange, to help personalize the ATM customer experience and deliver targeted promotions over the network.
CashStar Announces Latest Gift Card Program Client
CashStar launched a new gift card program with American grill and sushi bar, Kona Grill, replacing its existing gifting platform with CashStar’s solution. CashStar now powers Kona’s plastic and digital gifting programs, and also gives Kona gift card purchasers and recipients enhanced mobile experiences. Kona Grill’s mobile-optimized purchase pages make buying eGift cards on-the-go via a smartphone simple and easy. Recipients with iPhones or iPod Touch devices running iOS 6 or newer can easily store and redeem eGift cards in Apple’s Passbook app.