Kathy Tuite
CardWeb.com’s CardExecs database of payments industry movers and shakers today features Kathy Tuite, Senior Vice President of marketing for TransFirst.
CLEAR and Visa Partner for Visa Signature Travelers
Visa Signature account holders can now speed through airport security through its CLEAR biometric identity service partnership. Visa Signature account holders can enroll to receive discounted pricing on CLEAR membership with a six-month free trial plus $60 off the annual renewal rate of $179. CLEAR’s rapid identity technology brings speed, predictability and service back to travel. CLEAR’s kiosks and lanes are currently operational in San Francisco, Dallas-Fort Worth, Orlando, Denver, and Westchester County. Passengers access members-only lanes at security checkpoints where they verify their identity using biometrics, fingerprint or iris image.
Chase Allows Business Customers to Expand Online
Chase launched its annual Business Insight Seminar Series (#ChaseBIS) this week to help Chase Business Banking clients expand their online and social media presence. Innovations from Chase provide businesses with solutions to meet their needs, save time and grow. Chase QuickDepositsm is a remote deposit solution for businesses to make deposits without a trip to the bank. Chase Mobilesm for Business helps manage finances with quick text updates about account balances and do things like pay bills or transfer funds. Instant Storefront is an all-inclusive e-commerce solution provided through Chase Paymentech.
E-Bills Linked to Timely Payments, Reduced Costs
Electronic bills through online banking the internet can lead to enhanced cash flow and reduced customer care costs. Customers who receive electronic bills (e-bills) via a financial institution or the Con Edison website are more likely to make on-time payments, and utilize online self-service rather than costly customer service calls. These findings, according to a Fiserv survey of Con Edison customers, shows customers receiving e-bills via online banking were 22% more likely to make on-time payments and customers receiving e-bills at ConEd.com were 6% more likely to make on-time payments, when compared to paper bill recipients. Banking sites offer due-date reminders which may help customers pay their bills on time. Meanwhile, customers receiving e-bills via online banking were 64% less likely to call live customer service per month and customers receiving e-bills at ConEd.com were 39 percent less likely to call, when compared to paper bill recipients.
HSBC Sells Off Upstate New York Branches
Buffalo-based HSBC completed agreement to sell 195 retail branches to Buffalo-based First Niagara Bank for a consideration equal to a premium of 6.67% of the deposits to be transferred on closing, roughly $1.0billion. HSBC Bank USA remains committed to serving and further developing corporate banking relationships in Upstate New York and continue to provide a full suite of international commercial banking offerings, including trade and cash management products and services through its four business centres in the region. The all-cash transaction is expected to close in early 2012.
Signature Bank Names Private Client Banking Teams
NY-based Signature Bank appointed two private client banking teams led by Nelli Teplinsky as Group Director, SVP, and Natalie Leviev, Senior Client Associate. Both appointees join from HSBC, where Teplinsky was VP, Senior Premier Relationship Manager for 10 years as part of her 20 years’ experience in the industry. Leviev, meanwhile, spent four years with HSBC, most recently as a Premier Client Officer. The Bank also made appointments to improve its Group Director and Senior VP roles, all also from HSBC.
AmEx and Jean Chatzky Launch Money Program
With 62% of parents looking for ways to teach their kids about the importance of money management before they overspend, American Express and Jean Chatzky personal finance expert have introduced “The National Money Night Talk” program to encourage families to engage on money and financial responsibility. The Program is available through www.moneynighttalk.com, where parents can sign a pledge that they will talk to their kids about money and access exclusive Jean Chatzky videos and resources endorsed by the Council for Economic Education, based on the organization’s national content standards. The free online resource (www.moneynighttalk.com) is available in three different tracks based for middle school, high school and college students and features videos, frequently asked questions and talk points to help parents start and sustain the money dialogue beyond “National Money Night.”
Citibank Donates $100,000 to Restore NY Parks
Citibank will donate $100,000 to restore Long Island State Park services and programs cancelled during fiscal year 2009/2010, and also fund summer programs in Westchester and Rockland Counties. Citibankâs donation will enable the Zachâs Bay swimming area, a popular location for families with young children, to extend its operating season through Labor Day; restore the historic Long Island Mosaic in the Central Mall area of the park, supplementing donations from the Jones Beach Rescue Organization; and restore the operating schedule of the historic Carousel at Hempstead Lake State Park, which has turned in the same place for 79 years and was donated in 1931 by the philanthropist August Heckscher. Citibank will also sponsor the parkâs annual one-day co-ed volleyball tournament, which it has hosted for 32 consecutive years. The four-player and six-player divisions will both take place simultaneously on Saturday, July 17, beginning at 9:00 a.m. (rain date: Sunday, July 18).
NCR Deploys BLOCKBUSTER Express Kiosks With Gristedes
NCR Corporation is set to install its “BLOCKBUSTER Express” -branded DVD-rental kiosks in 35 locations of Gristedes NY-based small supermarkets. Slated for completion by the end of January, deployment of the NCR “BLOCKBUSTER Express”-branded kiosk offers consumers DVD rentals for $1 per night through conveniently located kiosks. Renters can then return the DVD to any convenient “BLOCKBUSTER Express” kiosk, which hold more than 900 DVDs for the widest selection of new release and classic DVDs available. A full list of all titles available through BLOCKBUSTER Express kiosks can be found at www.blockbusterexpress.com.
Marriott Rewards Offers a Clear Card Promotion
Marriott Rewards is offering its “Platinum Elite” members a complimentary “Clear Card” to help expedite airport security. “Marriott Rewards” is offering its “Platinum Elite” members a complimentary “Clear Card” to help expedite airport security. “Marriott Rewards Gold” and “Silver Elite” members will receive an extra month when they purchase an initial 12-month enrollment. “Clear,” operated by Verified Identity Pass has signed up over 120,000 travelers nationwide. Clear cards are accepted at 16 U.S. airports. Clear members are pre-screened and provided with a high-tech card which allows them to access designated security lanes nationwide. Applicants start their enrollment at flyclear.com and complete the process at an enrollment location where their fingerprints and iris images are captured and their identification is validated.
United Way Seeks Pennies from Card Transactions
United Way of America has launched a national program to automatically donate one penny for each credit or debit card transaction. The new “Pennies for Change” initiative has been implemented by NY-based Westchester Federal Credit Union, the first financial institution to offer the program. The launch was enabled by the card processor Covera Card Solutions. Twelve additional banks and credit unions have joined the “Pennies for Change” program as “Charter Members” and currently considering future deployment. “Charter Members” include: FORUM CU; First Federal Bank; Mutual Federal Savings Bank; Northeast CU; Western Reserve Bank; Superior FCU; The Milford National Bank and Trust Company; CTCE FCU; Maryland Bank & Trust Company; Flagship Community Bank; Southwest Community FCU; and North Texas Bank. The United Way says donations generated by the new program will be directed to United Way programs in local communities.
RBS Inks NYC’s D’Agostino Supermarkets
NYC-based D’Agostino Supermarkets with more than 5 million card-based purchases annually, has selected RBS Lynk to provide payment processing services. D’Agostino is headquartered in Larchmont, NY, and operates 20 stores in the Manhattan and Brooklyn boroughs of New York City as well as Westchester County. RBS Lynk will process credit, debit and other payment card transactions, including electronic benefits transfer payments for the supermarket chain. RBS Lynk is a single-source provider of electronic payment processing services.