In an article titled "Shady Shoppers Beware" in today's Wall St. Journal, Emily Maltby writes about how some merchants are fighting customers who tend to chargeback purchases by using services such as those offered by BadCustomer.com and Ignify.

In an article titled "In Australia, Curbs on Credit Card Fees Backfired", Keith Bradsher writes for the New York Times about the adjustments to payment card interchange fees made several years ago in Australia by the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Bradsher notes: "Now, as Congress debates how to rein in credit and debit card companies in the United States, Australia’s experience is being pointed to as an example of just how tricky that can be: for one thing, if regulators limit one fee or rate, banks are likely to find another way to keep revenue flowing."

Scotiabank has announced a partnership with M-Com to bring mobile banking to Scotiabank customers in the spring of 2010. Scotiabank’s mobile banking service will provide personal and small business customers with easy access to their Scotiabank accounts from their mobile device, regardless of their mobile service provider. Customers will be able to view balances and transaction history, pay bills and make transfers. READ MORE »

American Express says it is "making holiday shopping a more rewarding experience for Charge Cardmembers enrolled in the Membership Rewards program by offering generous bonus Membership Rewards promotions for online shopping. From Black Friday (November 27th) through Cyber Monday (November 30th), American Express is exclusively offering to eligible Charge Cardmembers triple Membership Rewards points on every purchase, up to $5,000, made on Amazon.com, which offers a large selection of great gifts for the holidays."

Visa and SHPS have announced "the renewal of a collaborative agreement which pairs the world’s largest electronic payments network with one of the nation’s largest providers of account-based, consumer-driven healthcare solutions. Under terms of the renewal, Visa remains the preferred payment brand for employee benefit card programs administered by SHPS, which serves large and mid-sized employers, health insurance carriers, and government agencies." READ MORE »

TowerGroup says it is finding that the popularity of private label store gift cards is "plummeting." According to the research firm, "he reduction in card spending is reflective of a weakened economy, decreased holiday sales and less confidence in retailer inventories and stability. TowerGroup expects store gift card spending volume to fall by 7%, with a modest increase of 3% in general purpose cards in 2009." READ MORE »

• Bloomberg.com: U.S. Overdraft-Fee Limits May Cost Banks $15 Billion
• The PayPal Blog: Bill Me Later Outstanding Offers
• Majority of Americans Plan to Skip 'Black Friday' Holiday Shopping
• CNNMoney: What banks can do to attract consumers' deposits
• CNNMoney.com: Banks' newest game: Debit card fees
• G.A. Wright Predicts Consumers Will Return to Stores for the Holidays, but Sales Won't Reach 2008 Holiday Levels
• MSNBC - The Red Tape Chronicles: Life after overdraft fees: ‘advances’ at 120% interest!
• Pan American Bank (Los Angeles) Launches Social Media Presence
• Wells Fargo/Gallup Survey: Small Business Owners Re-Think Technology Usage as They Navigate Tough Economy
• U.K.'s National Express Chooses CyberSource's Fraud Management Solutions
• BMO Financial to buy Diners Club North American ops
• eBay® Serves Up Bargains to Consumers Around the Clock with New "Deals" Application for iPhone® and iPod Touch®
• Selling Power Names Heartland Payment Systems Best Service Company to Sell For
• SmartMoney.com: The Best Holiday Credit-Card Strategies
• Bloomberg.com: Monster Debit Card Leads to $40 Pizza, 24,000 Percent Interest
• Chicago Sun-Times: Consumers get better grip on credit card debt