First Data Corp. announced the formation of a new merchant acquiring alliance joint venture in Italy with Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (BNL).

Visa USA today announced the rollout of Advanced Authorization, a new technology designed to help prevent card fraud.

Shannon Buggs writes for the Houston Chronicle about her personal plan to abandon credit cards.

The bankruptcy reform taking effect in October gives credit card companies just about everything they want and waters down consumer protections. Not only did the industry succeed in restricting who can erase unsecured debts in bankruptcy, it also will have access to consumers' federal tax returns.

Theresa Howard reports for USA Today on Citi Card's advertising of its Thank You Rewards plan.

Citi plays up redemption possibilities in ads that urge consumers to use its cards for faster rewards. One ad shows a groggy husband driving with the radio blasting behind his jogging wife. He is standing in for the iPod she hasn't been able to get. Citi customers can get one for 50,000 points.

Jeff Meisner reports for MSNBC on BioPassword's use of typing rhythm as a biometric authentication technique.

Keystroke dynamics isn't actually a new science.The original technology is derived from the idea of identifying a sender of old Morse code messages using a telegraphy key called "the fist of the sender," whereby operators could identify senders based on the pace, syncopation and rhythm of signal taps.

Forbes reports the eBay CEO Meg Whitman plans frequent visits to China over the summer months to "work on several projects, including the delayed launch of the company's online payment system PayPal."

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• Golden 1 Credit Union Launches Enhanced Electronic Billing and Payment Service with CheckFree Web
• Fiserv Unveils Major Healthcare Banking Program
• For the First Time, Security, Financial, E-Commerce and Government Sectors Gather to Build Nationwide Consumer Education Program to Fight Phishing Attacks
• PSECU Battles Phishing, Pharming and Online Fraud with Cyota's FraudAction Service
• LifeLock Introduces Nation's First Guaranteed Proactive Solution to Identity Theft Protection
• Experian-Scorex Announces New Credit Simulation Tool