Lyle Elias reports for ATMmarketplace.com on his outlook re: stored value cards for 2006 - including speculation about the potential launch of a Discover signature-based debit card.   » Continue Reading

PayPal's parent eBay announced fourth quarter financial results this afternoon. For the first time, eBay's payments revenues (including PayPal) reported full year revenues just a bit over $1 billion ($1,028.4 million).   » Continue Reading

Digital Transactions reports on Combined Payments Network LLC, a startup preparing to introduce a new ACH-based payment system that would use driver's licenses instead of plastic cards.   » Continue Reading

American Express and GE Consumer Finance have announced that GE Consumer Finance will issue American Express-branded credit cards in the United States. The first product to be offered under the new agreement will be a Dillard's American Express card.   » Continue Reading

Citi has updated its web site to feature its five new flavors of Citi American Express-branded cards. The cards are offered in three categories: travel (AAdvantage, PremierPass), cash back/rewards (Dividend, Diamond Preferred Rewards), and premium (Platinum).

Emily Smith reports for the student newspaper at Ohio's Wright State University on credit card debt of college students.   » Continue Reading

Feedback Research has announced the results of recent research that concludes that 61 percent of consumers who have a bank account banked online. Those who didn't bank online liked the face-to-face contact at their bank's branch or found no need to bank online. Almost ten percent of respondents who banked online said they had an account at an Internet-only bank.   » Continue Reading

Experian and the Gallup Organization have announced the latest monthly findings from their monthly survey of consumers regarding their views on credit. 65 percent of consumers say they are "very likely" to reduce their credit card debt in 2006. Another 19 percent say they are "somewhat" likely to do that. Consumers are less optimistic that they will reduce their overall level of debt -- just 47 percent say they are "very likely" to make that goal, while another 25 percent are "somewhat likely" to do so.   » Continue Reading

Note: Throughout the day, as Payments News happens, this post is updated.

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