The UK's MoniLink has announced that HSBC and First Direct will be the first banks to offer mobile phone banking later this year on the MoniLink network, a new UK mobile banking platform from the UK's cash machine network, LINK.

In a press release today, Redspin, an independent auditing firm based in Carpinteria, CA, suggests that the recent mandated upgrades of ATMs to support triple DES encryption of PINs has introduced new vulnerabilities into the ATM network environment - because of other changes that were typically made concurrently with the triple DES upgrades.

The Anti-Phishing Working Group is holding its Spring General Meeting next Tuesday, April 18, in Chicago. The focus of this meeting will be on eCrime: next-generation phishing, crimeware and email authentication. The meeting agenda is available online.

Brian Tumulty reports for the Gannett News Service on a proposal by the IRS to require credit card companies provide the iRS with annual reports on the volume of credit card transactions of individual small businesses to allow the IRS to better identify potential underreporting of tax payments.

Tobias Buck reports from Brussels for the Financial Times on comments made yesterday by Neelie Kroes, the European Union competition commissioner, regarding the payment cards inquiry the European Commission is pursuing where she said the industry was making "outrageous profits" and operating in a closed manner. We also explore the specific questions the Commission is asking for comment on by the public.

MobileLime has announced that its Mobile Wallet was selected as the 1st place winner of the Wireless Emerging Technologies Award at last week's CTIA WIRELESS 2006 for the Consumer Messaging Application (SMS/MMS) category.

• IDC: Targeted Mobile Ads Will Be Tolerated
• Official Payments Offers Last Minute Federal and State Tax Payment Options
• AP: Security breach discovered in credit card system at Ross-Simons
• Electronic Clearing House (ECHO) Receives Notice of Allowance for an Internet-Based Check Cashing and Clearing Patent
• Digital Transactions: No Visa Incentive for Contactless, But One May No Longer Be Needed
• Triple IP and GlobalCollect sign strategic partnership to offer travel and cancellation insurance online
• DM News: Study: Retailers Missing Out on Consumers' Interest in Online Bill Pay