Wal-Mart Stores issued a statement this evening following today's FDIC hearing on Wal-Mart's application for an ILC bank.

Online Financial Innovations, publishers of the Online Banking Report and other research and analysis for the financial services industry, has announced the acquisition of "Electronic Payments Week," a subscription newsletter for the payments industry.

The Associated Press is reporting that Visa USA has announced it will waive the signature requirements for purchases under $25 across 17 merchant categories (including drug stores, taxis, newsstands and fast-food restaurants) in a bid to speed up customer time spent at on the checkout line and increase use of its credit and debit cards.

The Atlanta Braves and MasterCard have announced that all concession and most portable stands at Turner Field will accept payment cards for the first time ever this season. Additionally, Turner Field concessions will accept contactless credit card transactions and fans with a MasterCard PayPass-enabled card or device can just "Tap & Go when making a purchase under $25 at concession stands.

comScore Networks has released an analysis of the state of online banking in the U.S. reporting that the number of online banking customers grew to nearly 40 million during Q4 2005, a 27 percent increase over the previous year, and that usage of online bill payment services has grown 36 percent during the same period.

Business Week takes a look at the services provided by some banks to globe-trotting and expatriate customers.

Mercator Advisory Group has announced its latest research report - Predicting Mobile Payment Success in Asia - that explores the relationship between technology, payments, and strategy, as it relates to the success of mobile commerce markets in Asia.

Ryan Kim reports for the San Francisco Chronicle on last week's CTIA Wireless 2006 conference and the mobile payments initiatives launched by PayPal and Obopay as well as trials underway exploring the use of near-field communication (NFC) chips embedded in cell phones.

VeriFone Holdings and Lipman Electronic Engineering have announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement for VeriFone to acquire Lipman, the Rosh Haayin, Israel-based provider of electronic payment systems. Following the acquisition, VeriFone will become the largest global provider of electronic payment solutions and services.

Visa International and FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) have announced an agreement in which Visa will become a FIFA Partner with global rights to a broad range of FIFA activities including the FIFA World Cup(TM) and the FIFA Women's World Cup.

Yodlee has announced Yodlee AccountOpening, a new service designed to reduce the risk associated with opening online accounts, increase the number of accounts successfully opened, and provide a superior online experience for customers.

Susan Warren reports for the Wall St. Journal on actions being taken by some concerned consumers to disable the RFID chips contained in new contactless payment cards because of concerns about potential abuses of the new technology.

Business Week explores eBay's plans to launch a new, fixed price ecommerce site called eBay Express later this month that could drive new revenues for both eBay and PayPal.

Findings from an independent study by Ipsos of the Canadian Payment Processing industry reveal that payment processing service providers need to safeguard the stability of their merchant base now more than ever and exercise vigilance in what promises to be an increasingly competitive marketplace.

RiskWatch has announced an agreement with the CC Pace Retail Banking Division to distribute its RiskWatch for Financial Institutions software and use it as part of their consulting solution set.

• Japan bank turns to Apple for pre-IPO makeover
• Washington Mutual Names James B. Corcoran Retail Banking President
• ITI Unit of Fiserv Develops the Financial Industry's First Internet Banking Security Toolkit
• Australia: Banks learning to fight the churn
• Mivtach Shamir Holdings and First Israel Mezzanine Investors Fund will record hundreds of millions of dollars in capital gains on the sale of Lipman
• UK: HSBC fights phishing with authentication token
• Australia: Phishers used ISPs to target US bank
• Pentagon Sets the Stage for Advanced Smart-Card Use
• Best Practices in Call Center Operations: Managing the Service-to-Sales Cultural Transformation
• Health Savings Accounts Fastest Growing Area of the Healthcare Market, According to Healthcare Executive Survey
• Deluxe Financial Services and Wolters Kluwer Financial Services Integrate Solutions to Assist Financial Institutions
• Nation's Largest Private Operator of Financial Service Centers Selects NetSpend as Strategic Partner
• New BMO Corporate MasterCard Helps Businesses Take Control Of Their Expenses
• Email Authentication On a Roll as Email Authentication Summit II Nears
• Debitman Appoints Mike Grossman CEO
• Schools Financial Credit Union Initiates Passmark Authentication System for Online Banking
• Digital Insight Expands Strategic Partnership With BankServ to Bring Remote Deposit Image Capture to Business Banking Clients
• China Merchants' credit card issuances hit record
• Financial Services Companies Ranked On How They Treat Online Customers in Q2 2006 Online Customer Respect Study
• Wal-Mart says has no plans to open bank branches