Karen Webster
CardWeb.com’s CardExecs database of payments industry movers and shakers today features Karen Webster, Chief Executive Officer of Market Platform Dynamics.
Raphaels Bank Announces Appointments in Prepaid Card Division
Raphaels Bank Card Services has appointed Emily Utton Senior Relationship Manager and Alex Reddish as Relationship Manager. The appointments round off a rapid period of growth for the Raphaels Bank Card Services team which has tripled in size in just 18 months. Emily Utton has joined Raphaels Bank after five years at Paypoint, where she was an Account Manager, looking after the energy sector. Prior to that, she was Account Manager at the Home Retail Group. Although Emily is new to prepaid, she has extensive experience as a relationship manager in the payments industry. Joining Emily, Alex Reddish has joined the team as Relationship Manager, moving after two years as Relationship Manager at Ukash. He has a long family history in prepaid and did his final dissertation, at Roehampton University, on the future of prepaid. Meanwhile, Janet Johnston has expanded her role as Head of Operations to include Relationship Management. Janet has been with Raphaels for three years, initially heading up Operations.
NCR Announces Latest Bank to deploy Teller Service
FirstCapital Bank of Texas now offers live teller service 24 hours a day, five days a week and will soon expand that to 24 x 7 service through interactive video software from NCR. With NCR APTRA™ Interactive Teller, a live teller takes remote control of the device while on video chat over its screen. FirstCapital’s interactive tellers work out of the Lubbock, Texas branch and can support customers at any of the bank’s 10 Interactive Teller kiosks. The latest Interactive Teller unit went live March 19, as part of the bank’s new branch opening in Amarillo. FirstCapital worked hand-in-hand with NCR and FTSI. FTSI is one of NCR’s largest financial services solutions partners, serving Texas, California and the Pacific Northwest since 1998. FirstCapital’s Interactive Teller units are available both in lobbies and drive-thru banking.
Chase Liquid to Adopt New Disclosure Box
Chase today unveiled a new simple and clear disclosure form for its Chase Liquid® prepaid card. Chase is the first prepaid provider to adopt a new model disclosure box released today by Pew Charitable Trusts. The new disclosure form allows customers to plainly see a description of fees and when deposits are available in a simple, easy to read format. The new prepaid disclosure form builds on Pew’s success in creating a model simple disclosure form for checking accounts. In December 2011, Chase worked with Pew to develop a revised summary guide for Chase Total Checking that made its terms and conditions easier to understand for consumers.
North Shore Bank Implements NCR Video ATMs
North Shore Bank is the first financial institution in Wisconsin to serve customers with video teller ATMs, the bank and NCR Corporation just announced. This allows for extended service hours – a 30 percent increase over former banking hours – and a friendly and efficient customer experience. APTRA Interactive Teller was developed by NCR, the global leader in consumer transaction technologies, which lets people talk to a live remote teller and give the teller remote control over the machine to conduct transactions. The efficiency and security created through the centralization of tellers enables financial institutions to transform their branch locations into more effective service and sales environments.
NCR APTRA Interactive Video ATM
North Shore Bank is the first financial institution in Wisconsin to serve customers with video teller ATMs, the bank and NCR Corporation announced today. The technology, in place at North Shore Bank’s newest branch, allows for extended service hours – a 30 percent increase over former banking hours – and a friendly and efficient customer experience. APTRA Interactive Teller and it is the only ATM-based technology that not only lets people talk to a live remote teller, but also gives the teller remote control over the machine to conduct transactions.
AmEx & Milwaukee Committee Encourages Local High Growth Ventures
The Greater Milwaukee Committee (GMC) local business coalition announced Milwaukee will be the first community in the U.S. to develop an entrepreneurship program using a model developed by Daniel Isenberg, founding executive director of the Babson Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Projects. As part of a bipartisan effort to grow the economy by stimulating high-growth ventures and encouraging job creation, the OPEN for Enterprise model is based on testing and validating entrepreneurship ecosystems abroad, including successful programs in Colombia, Brazil and Denmark to foster policies, institutions and cultures that stimulate long-term economic growth, development and prosperity through programs and workshops. Coalitions for High-Growth Entrepreneurship is designed to help high potential urban communities connect a diverse group of stakeholders, including city planners, private investors, academics, entrepreneurs and public officials, to help maximize the social and economic value of the community’s entrepreneurship ecosystem. Merging their collective expertise, the coalition can help to develop community programs that identify new ways to stimulate, support and “scale up” new and existing ventures.
Acquirers Shift PCI Compliance Focus
A recent ControlScan and Merchant Acquirers’ Committee (MAC) survey shows over the past year acquirers’ PCI program goals have shifted from a primary focus on risk mitigation to revenue generation. The annual survey by ControlScan, “Risk and Revenue: Second Annual Survey of the Acquirer’s Perspective on Level 4 Merchant PCI Compliance, measures acquirers’ attitudes and objectives surrounding their Level 4 merchant PCI compliance programs. Level 4 merchants process fewer than 20,000 online credit card transactions or fewer than one million face-to-face credit card transactions annually. These merchants are typically small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) and they represent 98 percent of all U.S. retailers.
Small Business Owners Waiting to Grow
The American Express OPEN Small Business Monitor shows just 20 percent believe economic conditions are the biggest barrier to growth (compared to 23% in the fall of 2011), fewer have cash flow concerns (53%, versus 58% in the spring) and fewer are stressed out by the economy (59%, versus 64% in the spring). Small business owners’ top priority, is maintaining their current business and sources of revenue (32%) and as a result they have adopted a “wait and see” approach for growth plans. Only 29% of businesses surveyed have plans to hire new employees, down from 35% in the spring.
Only 16% of entrepreneurs say the economy has caused them to lay off employees versus 21% six months ago. The Success Index, profiling High achievers, strivers, sustainers and strugglers, shows high achievers represent 6% of the total survey sample, and on average, have spent twenty-six years in business, employ eighteen people in their firms and have attained business growth of thirty-four percent over the last three years (versus 10% growth for the total survey population). The Success Index was developed based on self-reported responses to questions regarding business growth and characteristics correlated with high-performing entrepreneurs.
GiftCard.com Partners Susan G Komen Foundation
GiftCard.com gift cards and incentive cards added the Support Pink Card to their selection of customizable gift cards on GiftCard.com and customizable incentive cards on IncentiveCardLab.com. The Limited Edition Support Pink Gift Card will only be available for purchase until Race Day on October 20th. The $5.95 per card price for every Support Pink Card purchased will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The Susan G. Komen Foundation operates the largest series of 5K runs/fitness walks in the world. The race grew from 800 runners in Dallas, Texas in 1983 to over 1.3 million participants in more than 100 races around the United States and other countries in 2000. It raises funds and awareness for the fight against breast cancer, celebrates cancer survivors, and honors those who have lost their life to the disease.
GiftCardLab.com Acquires 1-800-GIFTCARD.com
GiftCardLab.com online provider of gift cards acquired 1-800-GIFTCARD.com. GiftCardLab.com was the first company to offer a customized Visa Gift Card and to ship gift cards with a customized greeting card. Now the company is continuing to blaze a trail in the gift card industry by being the first online gift card store to offer local merchants gift cards branded with their own logos and images. Additionally, the convenience of online ordering protects consumers from gift card tampering. Since the gift cards and card numbers are protected, GiftCardLab.com customers know their gift cards will arrive to the recipient untouched and fully loaded with the requested amount of funds.
MasterCard and Gilt City Partner, Offer Priceless Experiences
MasterCard and Gilt City partnered to offer registered users of U.S. MasterCard ‘Priceless Cities’ programs with a unique range of city adventures from a “no reservation needed” series or chef’s table experiences at coveted restaurants to exclusive, limited-time offers like meet-and-greet sessions with artists and previously inaccessible opening night tickets to plays and concerts. The ‘Priceless Cities’ global program provides MasterCard cardholders experiences, offers and privileged access to the things they are most passionate about, including travel, sports, shopping, culinary experiences, and arts and entertainment.