mFoundry has announced that CO-OP Financial Services has selected mFoundry’s financial services platform to deliver mobile banking offerings to credit unions. The service will allow credit union members to verify balances, view transaction history, transfer funds among their accounts, and more using their mobile phones. READ MORE

Continuing its series titled "The Debt Trap", Brad Stone writes in today's New York Times about how some credit card issuers target potential borrowers - including those who may have just exited bankruptcy - by using personal data provided by a number of information providers. Stone writes that "this marketplace for personal data has been a crucial factor in powering the unrivaled lending machine in the United States. European countries, by contrast, have far stricter laws limiting the sale of personal information."

The Research Department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis has published a short working paper titled "Myths about the Financial Crisis of 2008" by V.V. Chari, Lawrence Christiano, and Patrick J. Kehoe in which they show that four widely-held beliefs about the financial crisis of 2008 are false.

CSC has announced a new report by CSC's Leading Edge Forum finding that "a wave of disruptive technologies is reshaping industry, triggering new business models and altering consumer and employee behaviors." The report identifies seven "digital disruptions" that CSC says "21st century businesses must understand to position themselves for success in an emerging economy that places value predominantly in the production, enhancement and sharing of information and cultural content." The report is available for downloading online and an accompanying blog on digital disruptions by lead researcher Alex Fuss is also available. READ MORE

Viewpointe has released research on the decision-making processes associated with outsourcing check image archives - including an industry whitepaper titled "In-House or Outsourced Image Archive Services: Plotting Position and Course'' that was developed with the independent research firm Financial Insights. Viewpointe has also released a Customer Experience Profile with BB&T Corporation chronicling the bank's results derived from outsourcing its check image archive to Viewpointe. READ MORE

In an article titled "The Holdup at Online Banks", Karen Blumenthal writes about why "transferring money between a savings account at one bank and a checking account at another easily takes two days -- and sometimes as many as four."

• New MasterCard Research Ranks 65 Cities in Emerging Markets Poised to Drive Long-Term Global Economic Growth
• New Mercator Advisory Group Report: Credit Card Rewards Programs 2008: Trends, Challenges, and the Demand of Innovation
• USATODAY.com: Wal-Mart sees shifts in shoppers' buying habits
• Seeking Alpha: Moody's Sees Stress on Credit Card Industry Through 2009
• Forrester Research: Outlook For US Online Holiday Sales, 2008
• Safeway Expands "PowerPump" Fuel Rewards to BP, ARCO and More Safeway Fuel Centers Nationwide
• Yankee Group Says the Mobile Internet Must Be Open
• Information Access Technology Selects Payment Vision(R) to Offer Payment Gateway Services to Customers of its Call Center Software, CT Center and CT Impact
• Is your payment process as healthy as it could be? Travelex Creates Health Check for Business Payments
• AuctionBytes: Google Checkout, PayPal and eBay
• OrbitalPay, LLC Implements Zecure's Acquirer SAFE Solution to Stop Fraudulent E-Commerce Merchants
• Laru Corporation Launches Software-as-a-Service Offering for ACH Risk and Compliance Management Tool
• Wachovia Reports 3rd Quarter Loss of $4.8 Billion Excluding $18.7 Billion of Noncash Goodwill Impairment and $414 Million Net Merger-Related Expense
• MoneyAisle Awarded Best of Show at Finovate 2008
• Mutual Merchant Services Forms Marketing Alliance With Zion Systems to Provide Wireless Processing Services to Christian Organizations Nationwide