Jim Bruene blogs about Key Bank's new checking account promotion - "Open a Key Bank free checking account. Make two automated deposits of $100 or more and take home an Apple iPod nano worth $150." He notes that TD Canada Trust is doing something similar.

Javelin Strategy & Research has published a new report titled "2007 Online Banking and Bill Payment: Trends, Forecasts, and Strategies for Reinvigorating Growth and Adoption" that suggests that "consumers can financially do well by doing good, improving financial control while eliminating the paper bills, statements and checks that harm the environment through forest destruction, wastewater, fuel consumption, air pollution and landfill waste."   » Continue Reading

Wells Fargo has launched Wells Fargo Mobile - "a browser- based mobile banking solution, available to all of its customers nationwide. With this new service, Wells Fargo allows its customers to access their Wells Fargo financial relationship through a web browser on their mobile device." The bank is using a new URL: http://wf.com for access to the mobile service.   » Continue Reading

The Center for Financial Services Innovation announced has announced the "CFSI Catalyst Fund, L.P., a private equity limited partnership created to cultivate new financial services companies and solutions focused on the underbanked."   » Continue Reading

Arden Dale writes for the Wall St. Journal that "credit card use is soaring among small businesses. Many entrepreneurs find it's faster and simpler to sign up for a card than to apply for a bank loan." Or, because they can't qualify for a bank loan.

Consumers are maintaining their existing credit card relationships rather than rolling outstanding balances over to other cards, according to research recently conducted by Auriemma Consulting Group. The research found that "only 15% of credit card holders had transferred a balance in the past year, and 43% of those respondents said their last balance transfer was for an amount of $2,000 or less. Besides not carrying credit card balances in the first place--so not having anything to transfer--the most frequently cited reason respondents gave for not moving the amount they owed from one credit card to another was satisfaction with their current interest rate."   » Continue Reading

In a press release, TSYS has acknowledged that "Synovus Financial Corp., which owns 80.8% of TSYS' outstanding stock, will ask its Board of Directors to consider whether to distribute its ownership interest in TSYS to Synovus' shareholders in a spin-off transaction."

Yesterday, American Express reported financial results for the second quarter 2007. Amex reported that spending on its cards increased 15 percent with more than two million new cards issued in the quarter, a 10 percent increase. Amex's average merchant discount rate was 2.57% - unchanged.

Visa USA, Visa International and Arcaneo have announced a "strategic alliance aimed at helping companies integrate commercial payment cards with enterprise meetings management technologies. Both organizations are working together to create solutions that provide businesses with the information they need to accurately manage meeting expenses and assess their return on investment."   » Continue Reading

• EZCORP and NetSpend Collaborate on Debit Card With Built-in Overdraft Protection
• CheckFree Announces New Version of Accurate NXG Reconciliation and Exception Management Solution
• Banks' Top Phishing Fears - Financial Loss and Lost Customer Trust

We have received news of the following recent management changes:

• Adam Joffe has been named chief information officer, Chris Williams has been named vice president of consumer marketing, and Carolyn Groobey has been named head of consumer strategy - all at I4 Commerce. Joffe was senior vice president of IT and CTO at Sony Online Entertainment. Williams was a partner at a startup venture capital firm which invested in Internet retailers. Groobey was senior vice president of corporate strategy at Fannie Mae.