On the wires:

• Creativity Pays - Introducing Cleeng, the First Social Alternative to Paywalls
• hyperWALLET Announces Partnership with WIP (Wireless Industry Partnership)
• ACI Worldwide and Integrated Research Launch Payment Service Management for Fraud Prevention
• AuraPortal Launches the First BPM Software with a Seamlessly Integrated e-Commerce System
• Stream Media Raises Series A Funding to Provide Global Payment Platform for Mobile In-App Transactions
• LexisNexis Releases New Comprehensive, Hosted Collections Platform

On the web:

• TechCrunch: Tradeshift Integrates PayPal into its Free Invoicing Platform
• GigaOM: Phones Becoming Frontline in Credit Card Fraud Battle
• Digital Transactions: With Signed Merchants Onboard, ISIS Looks at Transit, Fast Food, and Groceries
• iNewp.com: Mobgets Exposes Verified by Visa Flaws on Mobile Devices
• Vator.tv: Danny Shader Interview on PayNearMe's Consumer Demographic (Video)
• Digital Money: Davd Birch's Impression on GSMA Mobile World Congress
• MIT Technology Review: The New Money - Square Profile

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a report, "Credit Cards: Fair Debt Collection Practices Act Could Better Reflect the Evolving Debt Collection Market Place and Use of Technology".

The GAO said it was asked by Congress to examine (1) the federal and state consumer protections and enforcement responsibilities related to the credit card debt collection; (2) the process and practices involved in collecting and selling delinquent credit card debt; and (3) and issues that may exist related to some of these processes and practices.

TransUnion and ID Analytics have announced that TransUnion will include ID Analytics' collections, credit, and identity risk solutions in TransUnion's portfolio of service offerings. According to the two firms, "ID Analytics' scores provide TransUnion customers with unique, real-time insight into consumers' fraud risk and creditworthiness across the entire lifecycle including origination, portfolio management and collections. The two companies are jointly delivering a suite of solutions that reduce credit losses, improve collection efforts, and reduce costs associated with fraudulent transactions." READ MORE »

ID Analytics has announced the availability of new collections scores that leverage real-time consumer identity information to improve both early stage and late stage collections efforts. ID Analytics Collections Optics enables companies to increase the effectiveness of collections efforts by accurately determining the likelihood of a charge-off in the early stage, and predicting the balance percentage of late stage delinquent accounts that will likely be repaid. READ MORE »

Risk management and collections have become critical functions for lenders to stay afloat in today’s financial storm and set the stage for stronger performance after the current economic crisis has subsided. Edgar, Dunn & Company will present a free webinar titled: “Collections in Turbulent Times” on February 11, 2009 at 2 PM Eastern in cooperation with SoundBite Communications.

Experian and PredictiveMetrics have announced the launch of PriorityScore for Collections - "a suite of collection scoring models blending Experian's credit reporting agency data with client-supplied data that produces an accurate ranking and predictive forecast of consumer repayment amounts." READ MORE »

Elizabeth Williamson reports for the Wall St. Journal that Citigroup has agreed to a deal with top Democratic senators that would "would allow judges to set new repayment terms for millions of mortgage holders who wind up in bankruptcy court." Williamson notes that the deal represents a change in direction by the financial services industry who have historically resisted efforts to allow judges to adjust mortgage loan principal amounts for consumers in bankruptcy.

In an article titled "Credit Card Companies Willing to Deal Over Debt", Eric Dash writes for the New York Times that "even as many banks cut consumers’ credit lines, raise card fees and generally pull back on lending, some lenders are trying to give customers a little wiggle room." Industry experts say there's never been a better time for consumers to try to negotiate a partial payment on their debt with their credit card issuers.

Business Week's cover story this week is titled "Banks vs. Consumers (Guess Who Wins)" - an article by Robert Berner and Brian Grow that takes a look into how credit card issuers in the US use arbitration to handle cardholder disputes saying it is "a system in which it is exceedingly difficult for individuals to prevail." The article focuses on the role played by National Arbitration Forum (NAF), a for-profit company based in Minneapolis.

Online Resources has released the results of its second survey of U.S. households looking at how bill payment patterns are being affected by the "ongoing economic softness. The survey shows that Americans’ personal financial stability continues to decrease, as the mortgage crunch, rising energy costs and a decreasing savings rate hit more households." READ MORE »

Online Resources Corporation has announced the launch of a new version of its online collections solution designed for small to mid-sized lenders, billers and receivables management companies.

Online Resources and Fair Isaac have announced a partnership to "accelerate access to industry-leading collections and payment capabilities for hundreds of collection agencies and debt buyers."

The Payment Cards Center of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia has published "Collecting Consumer Debt in America" (PDF) by Bob Hunt, senior economist in the Research Department of the Philadelphia Fed. In the paper, "Hunt explored how creditors and their agents attempt to collect past-due consumer debt, particularly unsecured debt. Creditors have a number of remedies open to them, but their effectiveness is limited by the fact that consumers can file for bankruptcy. Even outside of bankruptcy, consumers enjoy a variety of legal protections, including some they may not be aware of."