Jim Bruene (of the Online Banking Report) and I had a discussion yesterday about the evolution of mobile banking in the US market. He writes about it here on his Mobile Money & Banking blog. Back in February, Jim published is first forecast of how this market would evolve. In his blog post, he reflects on the dynamics of the market since that time and makes some adjustments to his thinking. He's looking for comments from industry participants - and providing a bit of a bounty to entice you to share your thoughts.

BidPay has announced it is reducing the fees it charges online merchants and auction sellers and streamlining the purchase process when BidPay is used. On a $50 purchase, fees paid by merchants on domestic US payments will be reduced from $1.75 to $1.345 - a 23% reduction.   » Continue Reading

Brent Bowers reports for the New York Times on the recent decision in a patent litigation case between AdvanceMe and AmeriMerchant. In its decision in the case, the court found the patent to be invalid because it was "obvious and anticipated." AmeriMerchant's David Goldin is profiled in Bowers' article. Goldin also has his own blog - called the "Merchant Cash Advance Blog" where he provides more background on the litigation.

Yesterday, Visa Inc. filed with the SEC Amendment No. 4 to the Visa Inc. Form S-4 Registration Statement. Visa filed its original S-4 on June 22, 2007. Also included in yesterday's filing were a series of new exhibits including consents from newly named board members.

Mahesh Sharma writes for The Australian about National Australia Bank and Visa trials of mobile payments involving around 200 people and 30 stores in the greater Melbourne area. "Consumers' banking information will be embedded in SIM cards contained in smart phones that can be read by waving them over specially designed sensors. The banking information can then be used to pay for goods and services."

• Forrester: Consumers Don't Enjoy Financial Services
• Wall St. Journal: Alternative Way to Pay Utility Bills Draws Fire
• New York Times: Wariness Urged in Using Credit Cards for Medical Bills
• Canadian Check Imaging Changes Could End Paper Process
• U-SAM Chip Shows the Way for Contactless Technologies in Japan, According to ABI Research