The FDIC's latest issue of "FYI: An Update on Emerging Issues in Banking" contains "Highlights from the 2006 Summary of Deposits Data" that provides a number of interesting observations based upon the Summary of Deposits survey data captured each June by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of Thrift Supervision.

Pay By Touch has announced that Scott's Food & Pharmacy will be piloting finger-scan payment program at four of its stores in northeast Indiana.

The researchers who published research recently into vulnerabilities in first-generation contactless credit cards have posted a video that provides a technical demonstration of the vulnerabilities.

Entrust has announced that it is collaborating with VeriSign in proposing a new fraud intelligence network. The two companies have prepared an IETF Internet Draft document titled "How to Share Transaction Fraud (Thraud) Report Data".

APACS has announced its latest report into "transparency and responsibility in the credit card industry." The report, - ‘Sharing Best Practice’, "details the steps the industry has undertaken to benefit the consumer, and provides an update on responsible lending initiatives such as increased data sharing."

Jan Chipchase is a researcher for Nokia - and a great blogger too. He recently gave a presentation titled "Connecting the Unconnected" (in PowerPoint format annotated with notes) that's a real delight.

Two stories this morning about fraudsters and their methods - one from the Government Accountability Office examining the level of "trafficking" in food stamp benefit programs and the other from the Wall St. Journal examining the increasing sophistication of outright retail theft.

INICIS Co. Ltd. of Korea has announced that it has entered into an alliance with ChinaPay of China and eContext of Japan to provide online global payment processing services to merchants from around the world. This strategic alliance will provide online payment processing services to many global merchants conducting or wishing to conduct online business in China, Japan and Korea.

In an article titled 'Imitation Plastic", John Luu reports for the Sydney Morning Herald on new signature debit cards from ANZ (Visa) and Westpac (MasterCard). ANZ's Visa Debit has a monthly fee of A$6 for unlimited transactions - and can also be used for direct deposit of payroll. Westpac's Debit MasterCard doesn't have a monthly fee but does require an associated savings or deposit account.

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