Fiserv has announced plans for a new personal payments service that it says "will enable individuals to quickly and easily send or receive money person-to-person using their existing online banking relationship. The service will be made available to the more than 3,100 financial institutions in the Fiserv online payment network, linking users with their friends, family, neighbors and colleagues." READ MORE

Fiserv has announced that its ACCEL/Exchange Network will begin processing and offering secure Internet Personal Identification Number (PIN) debit transactions in November 2009, saying it will be the first PIN debit payments network to do so. The offering is the result of a partnership with Acculynk, provider of a software-only service that enables PIN debit payments online. READ MORE

Fiserv has announced that Biller Direct HV, a hosted solution that integrates electronic billing and payment (EBP) capabilities into company websites, has been enhanced with new delivery and alerting capabilities. New capabilities include a "push e-bill" option that enables the delivery of secure PDF e-bills via e-mail and mobile alerts that notify consumers via their mobile device when a bill has been received. READ MORE

A survey commissioned by VeriSign's Messaging and Mobile Media Division (in collaboration with Fiserv and M-Com) of more than 500 U.S. mobile phone users finds that financial institutions should mine the untapped market of offline-banking consumers as a potential target audience for mobile banking and payment services.

According to the survey, sixty percent of consumers not currently using online banking would be interested in using at least one mobile banking service if it was offered during a typical month. The survey also shows that non-online-banking consumers are heavy users of traditional bank channels: nearly two-thirds reported contacting their financial institution once a week or more through one or more bank channels such as contact centers and interactive voice response systems. These are among the most costly customer service channels. READ MORE

Fiserv has announced the availability of Fraud Risk Manager 4.6, the newest version of its multi-channel fraud detection and management solution. Also available is AML Manager 4.6, the market-leading anti-money laundering solution.

"Both Fraud Risk Manager and AML Manager from Fiserv are designed to enhance and optimize financial institutions’ financial crime risk management operations, by delivering best-in-class fraud and anti-money laundering (AML) transaction monitoring solutions, integrated with a common platform for automated alert intelligence and investigation, case management and regulatory reporting." READ MORE

Yesterday, Fiserv held an Investor Day in New York City. The presentation materials are available online.

Fiserv has announced survey results on how consumers' financial activities have been impacted by the prolonged recession and how financial institutions can help them gain a greater sense of control of their finances. Overall, consumers surveyed indicated a desire for robust online banking functionality that allows them to closely monitor and manage their finances, combined with proactive alerts and reminders from their financial institution. READ MORE

Fiserv has announced that "Walmart has implemented the CheckFreePay service from Fiserv, enabling customers to pay bills in person at all Walmart locations in the United States. Using the CheckFreePay service, customers can pay household bills, such as their utility, mobile phone, auto loan, insurance and credit card bills, at any one of the retailer?s 3,755 domestic locations, including Walmart SuperCenters and Neighborhood Markets." READ MORE

Fiserv has announced that it is now providing its Mobile Money service to Bangkok Bank, one of the only banks in Thailand using an international mobile banking solution. Customers can now access Bangkok Bank's internet banking platform, Bualuang iBanking, on their mobile phone, enabling them to view account information, pay bills, transfer funds and top up their mobile phone account. The application is available in both English and Thai languages. Powered by technology from Atlanta-based M-Com, Inc. Mobile Money from Fiserv was launched in September 2008. READ MORE

Fiserv, has introduced Mobile Money FastTrack - calling it "a straightforward mobile banking solution that can be rapidly deployed by financial institutions." Mobile Money FastTrack is a streamlined version of the flagship Mobile Money solution introduced by Fiserv in 2008. READ MORE

Fiserv has announced a new outsourcing service to help large and mid-tier financial institutions reduce Automated Clearing House (ACH) processing costs and gain quicker time to market with new ACH services and NACHA Rule updates. According to the company, "ACH Outsourcing from Fiserv will enable financial institutions to move from a variable cost structure of in-house processing to a more predictable, volume-based cost model, built with the NACHA Rule updates included. The move to outsourcing could help banks gain immediate operational and IT cost savings, such as the elimination of ACH mainframe expense, software maintenance and upgrade costs." READ MORE

A new study sponsored by Fiserv has found that "consumers who pay bills online are more profitable and loyal to their financial institution due to their use of online bill pay services. Customers who began using online bill payment during the course of the study delivered 15 to 20 percent more profit to their financial institution when compared to similar customers who did not adopt the online service. Further, customers who paid bills online were 76 percent less likely to churn or leave the financial institution." READ MORE

Fiserv has announced that Lance Drummond will join the company as Executive Vice President leading several strategic growth initiatives and reporting to the CEO. According to the company, Lance's new role is "to accelerate the development of certain business line extensions in areas including data analytics, consulting and wealth management." READ MORE

Acculynk has announced that its Internet PIN debit pilot program is scheduled to go live in early March with several issuers that will bring several million cards to the pilot. The first pilot issuers to participate are from the ACCEL/Exchange EFT network, owned by Fiserv. Acculynk says that a second EFT network will be announced in a few weeks. READ MORE

Fiserv has announced the unveiling of "an enhanced market approach and new brand identity, affirming the company’s commitment to its clients and to leading the transformation of financial services technology. These moves represent a further acceleration in Fiserv’s singular approach to the market and to anticipating client demands within a rapidly changing environment. The full integration of CheckFree's electronic commerce operations within Fiserv has been a catalyst to drive increased innovation and focus the power of Fiserv’s cumulative expertise on helping clients grow their business and increase profitability." READ MORE

Fiserv has announced the results of recent market research that quantified the interest among banks and credit unions for mobile deposit capture and gauged their views on potential customer acceptance. Mobile deposit capture is an extension of remote deposit capture (RDC) that enables checks to be deposited anywhere via a mobile phone equipped with a camera to create and send an image of the check. READ MORE

Fiserv has released results of a newly commissioned survey by Forrester finding that U.S. consumers are using the online banking channel more frequently to access their accounts during the current global financial crisis.

"Some 71 percent of consumers said they are keeping a closer eye on their finances than they did a year ago. Slightly more than three-quarters of the consumers surveyed said they use online banking, with non-users making up the remaining one-quarter. Online banking usage increased far more than any other banking channel, with 28 percent of consumers indicating they are using online banking more than they did a year ago, and 63 percent said managing all of their accounts online from one site would help them feel more in control of their finances."

Wells Fargo has announced it has increased its volume of electronic payments with other financial institutions by clearing checks through image exchange with Fiserv Solutions. READ MORE

Fiserv held an investor conference earlier today in Boston. A copy of the presentation is available online.

U.S. financial institutions see moving toward a next generation payments system, including a payments hub (framework of common, reusable services), as important to remaining competitive according to a recent analysis conducted by the Global Payments Solutions division of Fiserv. Larger banks seem to be moving faster than smaller banks on this, as smaller banks wait to see what vendor packages come to the marketplace, say Fiserv payments analysts. READ MORE

Fiserv has announced its CheckFreePay walk-in bill payment service has partnered with PayScan America to utilize PayScan's patented bar code bill payment process to offer "an enhanced retail payment solution that will enable walk-in consumers to pay their household bills quickly and easily at retail checkout lanes and self-service kiosks." READ MORE

Consumer interest in mobile banking and payments services offered by their financial institution has increased significantly in the past two years, according to new findings from a consumer research study released by Fiserv, Inc. "Research revealed that 75 percent of those surveyed say they would consider using mobile banking services if offered. That’s up dramatically from the 49 percent who expressed a willingness to try mobile banking services in a similar survey conducted in March 2006." READ MORE

Fiserv has announced Fiserv Mobile Money - calling it "the industry’s most complete mobile banking and payments solution, because it supports consumers on all three mobile access modes - short messaging service, (SMS), wireless application protocol, (WAP), and downloaded mobile applications, offers online and offline enrollment capabilities and integrates with core banking, online banking and electronic payments systems." READ MORE

Glenbrook's Bryan Derman and Jim Salters take a fresh look at online bill presentment following a recent announcement by AT&T Mobility that it would begin delivering bills electronically through CheckFree-powered bank bill payment sites.

According to a survey sponsored by CheckFree, "more Americans than ever, an estimated 63.1 million households or three-fourth of those online, are paying their bills online rather than writing paper checks. The 2008 Consumer Banking and Bill Payment Survey, the eighth conducted by CheckFree since 2002, highlights Americans’ growing use of online banking and bill payment services to help manage their personal finances." READ MORE

Meta Payment Systems has announced it has contracted with Fiserv and TransUnion "to enhance the next generation of its award-winning iAdvance product. The partnerships enable Meta to expand its short-term, small dollar loan alternative that is accessed immediately on a MetaBank-issued prepaid card." READ MORE

Fiserv and SunTrust have announced 'they will donate one tree for every SunTrust customer who signs up for electronic bill (e-bill) activation or pays at least three bills online or via a mobile phone between April 14 and June 30, 2008. With assistance from the Arbor Day Foundation, Fiserv and SunTrust have set a goal of planting more than 10,000 trees as part of the campaign.' READ MORE

In an article titled 'Fiserv Is Largely Immune To Banking's Plagues', Jack Willoughby writes for Barron's this weekend that Fiserv may be among the 'companies whose earnings are likely to rise this year.'

Information Technology, Inc. (ITI), a business unit of Fiserv, has announced the launch of Premier Mobile Banking, an integrated mobile banking solution that gives customers the convenience of managing their accounts anytime and anywhere. Operating on a browser embedded in handheld devices, the product is both carrier-independent and compatible with any web-enabled device. Banking customers are able to check account balances, view recent transactions, receive alerts and transfer funds between accounts in real time with their cell phone or PDA.