On the wires:

• Visa Europe and Monitise Sign Partnership Agreement to Develop Mobile Payments
• MoneyGram International and Movistar Sign Strategic Agreement
• INSIDE Secure Brings Biometric On-Card Matching Security to SecuRead NFC Solution
• MoneyGram and Visa Extend Remittance Service to World's Largest Remittances Corridor
• INETCO “Ready to Rocket” with INETCO Insight Business Transaction Management Solution
• ProPay Debuts 'Zumogo' Mobile Payment Application for Smartphones
• BillFloat Gives NewWave Communications Customers More Time to Pay Bills
• The Clearing House Announces New Board Leadership (PDF)
• TomorrowVentures & CompuCredit Holdings Corporation Invest in Social Payments Leader Twitpay

On the web:

• Rethink Wireless: Ericsson Unveils its Mobile Money Framework
• American Banker: Mobile Banking Pioneer Firethorn Shifts Gears
• Springwise: More donations to charity via rounded-up credit card purchases
• U.S. News: 8 Things You Can’t Do With Cash

The Clearing House has announced that it is seeing accelerating usage of Universal Payment Identification Codes (UPICs) by public and private sector entities across the U.S. UPIC payments have grown to a record $4 billion in the third quarter of 2008, up 61% compared to the same period a year ago. A UPIC is used for credit payments only and thus lowers the possibility of unauthorized debits, checks and demand drafts. The UPIC was developed by the Electronic Payments Network (EPN), the ACH business of The Clearing House, in conjunction with the financial services industry. READ MORE »

The Clearing House Board of Directors has announced that James D. Aramanda has been named the company's Chief Executive Officer effective September 8. He succeeds Jeffrey P. Neubert, who will retire from The Clearing House following a transition period. READ MORE »

The Federal Reserve Banks (FRBs) and The Clearing House Payments Company (TCH) have announced plans to implement enhanced message formats to accommodate both cover payments and payments containing business remittance information on their respective U.S. dollar wire transfer systems, the Fedwire® Funds Service and CHIPS. READ MORE »

We have received news of the following recent management changes:

• The Clearing House Payments Company today announced that Senior Vice President Susan Long will manage both paper check and electronic check clearing services on Oct. 1 and that Senior Vice President Jerry Milano, head of SVPCO Check Services, will retire on March 31, 2008. Long, who joined The Clearing House 14 years ago, had been running SVPCO’s electronic check services.

SVPCO - Electronic Clearing Services, the electronic check and check image exchange business of The Clearing House Payments Company, has announced that The Bank of New York is now participating in the SVPCO Image Payments Network.

The Clearing House and BITS have announced that member banks of BITS Payments Strategy Steering Committee (PSSC) have moved their payments initiatives to The Clearing House’s Strategic forum to create a single bank-driven focal point for payments issues for the financial services industry.

Endpoint Exchange LLC, a Metavante company, and SVPCO – Electronic Clearing Services, the electronic check and check image exchange business of The Clearing House Payments Company LLC, have announced that member financial institutions of both systems can now exchange check data and images.