In an article titled 'Banks to Test Debt Market This Week", Michael J. de la Merced and Eric Dash write for the New York Times about the upcoming test of the debt markets - with First Data and KKR needing to finance about $24 billion to complete their transaction taking FDC private scheduled for later this month.

Discover Financial Services has announced that its Discover Gift Cards will now be available at various General Growth Properties mall locations nationwide. Discover says "this agreement will mark the first time Discover Gift Cards are available in retail locations and able to be purchased by non-Discover cardmembers."

Jon Van writes for the Chicago Tribune about startup aKos Technology Corp. and its founder, Daniel Csoka. He plans to enable prepaid wireless carriers to provide remittance services from mobile handsets.

Aite Group has announced a new report titled "Mobile Banking v.2.0: Time for the Perfect Storm?' that examines "current mobile baking activity and assesses the vendors that are bringing mobile banking solutions to market globally." The report by Aite's Nick Holland includes a bullish forecast for mobile banking adoption - saying "the active base of mobile banking users in the United States could reach over 1.6 million by year-end 2007, rapidly rising to 35 million users by the end of 2010."

• GE Money and Provident Bank Partner to Provide Credit Cards to Retail and Business Customers
• Titan Global Holdings Announces Strategic Launch of Titan Card Services, Inc.
• BusinessWeek: Majoring in Credit-Card Debt
• Wells Fargo Offers New Environmental Benefits for Washington Banking Customers
• MasterCard Lets Fans Personalize and Send “Priceless Pep Talks” from Peyton Manning to Friends, Family
• ACH Direct Offers Easy Online Contribution Option with “Donate Now” for Religious and Charitable Websites
• BusinessWeek: Credit-Card Survival Guide
• Woodforest National Bank Extends Participation in PULSE(R) Network
• Debt Resolve Granted Its Fourth US Patent, No. 7,249,114
• Organization Warns Stored Value Industry Future Regulatory Actions Will Require Significant Effort
• Singapore: NETS and SingTel to offer wireless mobile payments
• Retail Decisions Answers Virgin Mobile's Call – Screening & Processing 15 Million Transactions a Year
• Boston Globe: Credit card companies woo struggling mortgage-holders
• Aneace's Blog: What does "We prefer MasterCard" mean? And what could it mean in the future?