The September 2008 edition of the First Annapolis Navigator is now available (registration required). This month's feature article is "The World's Largest Bankcard Acquirers". Other articles include: "Retail Loyalty: What US Retailers Can Learn from Our Neighbors to the North", "HSBC's Multi-National Banking Package", Interchange Regulation Update: Poland", and "E-Commerce Payments Acceptance Update".

David Reilly writes for the Wall St. Journal's Heard on the Street column about the challenges US credit card issuers are facing as both credit losses and funding costs are increasing.

Discover has announced that its "U.S. Spending Monitor dipped 2.2 points to 86.5 in September, as consumers grew increasingly concerned about the U.S. economy and worked hard to hold-the-line on future spending plans. More than 55 percent of the nation’s adults rated the economy as poor, and nearly 70 percent think it is getting worse. Both measures were 5 points higher than the previous month and both turned increasingly negative as the financial crisis played out." READ MORE »

First Data has named Robert P. DeRodes as its chief technology officer (CTO). DeRodes, 58, will join the company’s executive management team and report directly to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael Capellas. READ MORE »

• Digital Transactions: Plenty of Upside for eBay in Bill Me Later Deal, Experts Say
• Virgin America and Barclays Offer New Visa Signature Card With No Annual Fee
• Western Union expands distribution channels, taps new customer base with launch of online banking service in Asia
• Consumers Concerned Retailers Not Doing Enough to Protect Financial Data
• Tata Consultancy Services to Acquire Citigroup Global Services for $505 million
• UK Retailers Argos and Homebase Turn to TSYS
• Revolution Money and Murphy Oil USA, Inc. Save Consumers Money at the Pump
• First Data Becomes First Payment Processor to Offer All Major Alternative Payment Brands through Agreement with CardinalCommerce