We're beginning to wind down for the holidays! We'll still be scanning for payments-related stories over the next two weeks - but expect the activity here will be much lighter than normal.

This is that special time of year to spend with family and friends! Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season from your friends at Glenbrook!

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has announced a settlement with CompuCredit Corporation, Atlanta, Georgia (CompuCredit), "a company charged with deceptive marketing of subprime credit cards with three FDIC-supervised banks in violation of the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTC Act). Two of the banks previously settled with the FDIC."

Mint.com has just released a free application for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Here's the link to the app in the iTunes App Store. Kevin Purdy also reviews the new Mint app on Lifehacker.

Speaking of the iPhone, Stanford has made available the course materials from its CS193P iPhone Application Programming course - free. READ MORE »

That's what Ed Mierzwinski, consumer program director for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, says about the implementation schedule (July 1, 2010 - 18 months away) allowed for the banks to adopt the new credit card rules adopted yesterday by the Fed, OTS, and NCUA.

Jim Bruene has announced the Finovate 2009 Conference Series - with Finovate Startup planned for San Francisco on April 28, 2009 and Finovate 2009 planned for New York City on September 29, 2009.

"About 700 of the most innovative execs in banking, finance and technology attended a Finovate event in 2008. The events are fast-paced, just a single day, and allow you to network with the presenting execs along with the decision makers in the audience. Both attendees and presenters love the format."

At Glenbrook, we're big fans of what Jim and Eric do at these conferences. If you plan to attend, signup now for early discounts. If you're an innovator and want to present, get in touch early and tell your story!

• New York Times: Lose Confidence in Your Bank? Turn to the Web
• peHUB: FreedomPay Raises More $$
• CreditCards.com: 2008 credit card holiday promotions
• Commercial Law: Why Are Credit Card Issuers Undermining the Economy?
• The Catalyst Code: Wave to Pay is Far Away
• CRM News: Financial Services: Credit Card Firms Wail, Gnash Teeth Over New Consumer-Friendly Rules
• Forrester Research: Optimizing Online Banking Customer Contacts
• Washington Post: More Choose Gift That Truly Keeps Giving (Charity Gift Cards)