We received the following Ask Glenbrook question earlier today:

My question to you is about Remote Deposit Capture. There is a project I have to complete and you can help me in finding out by website, who has this feature is this question and how much would customers pay for this service?

Mercator Advisory Group has announced a new report: The Payments Industry M&A Report - Q4 2005. The report provides comments and analysis on major deals announced within the fourth quarter of 2005, summary information on the payments industry related M&A deals, contact person(s) related to each deal, and an M&A activity table that summarizes the highlights of each deal. For more information, see: www.mercatoradvisorygroup.com.

MarketingSherpa.com reports on ecommerce merchant Big Al's experience adding e-billing (paying via online banking bill payment) to its suite of payment choices for consumers. Roughly 6% of all Big Al orders now chose the eBill option. The e-bill solution used is provided by ModaSolutions.

I4 Commerce has announced that its ShopBillMeLater.com website activity grew 580 percent over Q4 2004 activity. The ShopBillMeLater.com web site provides a directory of merchants who accept I4's Bill Me Later payment service along with special offers from participating merchants.

"Retailers that participated in the website, correspondence, offers and email programs reported that they grew sales during the holiday season. Significantly, analysis indicates 33 percent of these were incremental, coming from new customers to the retailers."

Prosper, highlighted earlier here on Payments News when they "soft launched" their web site, officially launched today calling themselves America's first people-to-people lending marketplace and comparing Prosper's approach to lending to that of eBay - a marketplace.

"Until now, financial institutions have controlled who is able to obtain credit and the rates people pay," said Chris Larsen, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Prosper. "Over time, this one-sided control has bred inefficiencies and excessive margins -- leading to higher rates for borrowers, and restricting people who have money to lend from entering and generating income from this vital and lucrative market."

Texas Instruments has announced that its high-frequency ISO/IEC 14443 microprocessor- based payment card inlay has achieved certification from MasterCard International for use in its PayPass contactless payment program in North America.

Adjoined Consulting has announced a strategic partnership with Proximities, Inc. that takes advantage of Proximities RFID wristbands to enable consumers to gain access to public events, make purchases, and verify their age.

Clayton Park reports for the King County Journal (WA) on Coinstar, the Bellevue, Washington-based company perhaps best known for their coin counting machines in supermarkets (which, by the way, count about $2 billion in coins a year).

In a follow-up to Waffle House's decision to begin accepting credit cards, Sue Stock reports for the Raleigh, NC News & Observer on the story. According Bryson McKinney, a Waffle House franchisee, "Pretty much everybody's come to the conclusion that you have to take them."

Note: Throughout the day, as Payments News happens, this post is updated.

• Wachovia Ranks No. 1 in Customer Satisfaction Survey for Fifth Straight Year
• BofA revs up NASCAR deal - Bank now tied to tracks in L.A., Kansas City, Phoenix, Watkins Glen
• Pay By Touch Gains Momentum for New Online Initiative at Two Industry Conferences
• New York Times: New at PATH Stations: Wave, Don't Swipe
• VeriFone's Vx Solutions Certified for China's EMV Payment Standard; Will Support China UnionPay Brand Chip Cards in China and Globally
• Cybertrust Named PCI Qualified Data Security Company by Visa USA
• Bankrate.com: Choosing a college fund rewards card