As health care costs continue to rise faster than incomes, families are turning to credit cards to pay for medical care, according to new research by Demos and the Access Project in a report entitled "Borrowing to Stay Healthy: How Credit Card Debt Is Related to Medical Expenses" (PDF).

Duncan Solutions and Peppercoin have announced that the City of Detroit is "among the first wave of cities to let drivers pay for on-street parking with their credit or debit cards instead of searching for loose change. Detroit recently replaced old, traditional parking meters with 175 new multispace meters, covering nearly 1,225 parking spots. This is one of the largest deployments of parking paystations that accept credit cards in the United States."

Deloitte & Touche USA has announced the formation of the Deloitte Center for Banking Solutions, which Deloitte says "will address innovative ways to solve issues affecting the competitiveness of banks operating in the United States. The Center will be led by independent chairman Donald Ogilvie, who served as president and chief executive officer of the American Bankers Association (ABA) for two decades before joining Deloitte in September."

Panini, a provider of check capture solutions for the financial services industry, has announced it will be holding a webinar next Monday, January 22, 2007 at 1:30 pm EST. Debbie Howell, Senior Account Executive, Federal Reserve Bank, will present a current industry update on Check 21, including the most recent electronic check clearing data. “The growth of Check 21 is now steady and healthy,” states Howell. “The Fed has very aggressive goals for the continued electronification of paper checks during 2007.” Doug Roberts, president of Panini North America, will provide a company and product update. Registration information can be obtained by visiting Panini’s website at www.panini.com.

Terence Roche of Cornerstone Advisors writes about check conversion and the prospects for increased usage in 2006. In particular, Roche explores all of the places that capture could be used by a bank and its customers.

Last week we mentioned a CNET News.com story about PayPal introducing a new, token-based authentication solution to its members. PayPal's now providing more information about the PayPal Security Key on its web site along with an FAQ.

Valerie Bauerlein and Damian Palette write for the Wall St. Journal about steps Bank of America is taking in an effort to have the current regulatory cap that limits acquisitions removed. The cap prevents bank acquisitions that would result in a US bank holding more than ten percent of total US bank deposits.

In a front page story in today's Wall St. Journal, Robin Sidel writes about the steps card accepting merchants are taking to reduce their payment card acceptance costs - including encouraging their customers to use PIN-based debit cards for payment instead of signature. Sidel describes the merchants as "fed up with the rising cost of accepting plastic."

Chockstone has announced that its technology is powering Ticketmaster's first-ever Gift Card program - enabling consumers and corporate buyers to purchase gift cards redeemable toward tickets to participating events on sale through Ticketmaster throughout the United States.

• Xoom Expands its Global Money Transfer Network by Signing with Bancomer Transfer Services, Inc.
• NOVA Selects bay6 for Electronic Check Service
• Global Payments Europe Announces the Introduction of a Point-of-Sale Mobile Phone Card Re-Loading Service
• The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. and Ronald A. Katz Technology Licensing, L.P. Settle Patent Lawsuit and Enter Into License Agreement
• Retailers Lost Sales This Holiday Season Due to Service, Store Layout, and Inventory Issues, Says Deloitte Survey
• JupiterResearch Forecasts That Off-line Retail Sales Influenced by Online Research Will Reach One Trillion Dollars by 2011
• Comerica to Offer Customer Rewards Up to $100 Plus WorldPerks Miles
• People's Bank Selects i-flex's FLEXCUBE(R) for Core Banking
• IP Commerce Enters into Agreement with CIT to Provide Small Businesses Access to Financial Services from the Windows Vista™ Business Operating System
• S1 Launches Postilion, S1 Enterprise, and FSB Solutions Brands
• WSJ: Visa Awaits EU Report on Fees
• PayFlex and Wal-Mart Offer Tracking System for Flexible Spending Account Debit Cards