We mentioned earlier this week that copies of many of the presentations from the recent Chicago Fed Payments 2009 conference are now available online.

One of the more interesting presentations is the Overview of Green Dot presentation by Steve Streit, CEO. It includes a description of how Green Dot is three companies in one: a retail packaged goods provider, a financial services provider, and the Green Dot reload network (MoneyPak).

Another interesting presentation is Payment Strategy at Home Depot by Dwaine Kimmet, VP Home Depot Financial Services. Kimmet clearly lays out the retailer's payment priorities - and frustrations with increased interchange costs saying that, since 2002, Home Depot "has not seen value created by these new, higher fees." He goes on to describe the private label card approach that Home Depot's adopted which has become its lowest cost credit tender type.

There are lots of other interesting presentations from this recent conference - available here.

Credit losses on private label credit card portfolios in the US reached 10.51% in January according to a New York Times report by Tara Siegel Bernard. She writes: "While private label cards account for only about 11 percent of all credit card loans outstanding, their troubles offer a window into the deteriorating finances of some of the most distressed Americans."

Shell Oil Products US has announced it has launched the Shell Saver Card - saying it is "the first gasoline retailer to make an electronic check payment method available to consumers nationally. This latest Shell payment option provides consumers with a convenient way to pay for purchases with a direct link to a checking account and savings on each gallon of fuel pumped at Shell stations." READ MORE

Mercator Advisory Group has announced a new report titled "Retail Credit Cards: New Interest In An Old Topic" that "examines the venerable world of private label and co-branded retailer credit cards, and the market forces that are shaping this segment. The vast majority of retailers have turned their programs over to third party issuers, but these retailers' interest in payments as a sales enabler and relationship building tools have never been higher. And with more payment vehicles and providers at their disposal, retailers increasingly focus on developing their optimal payments strategy." READ MORE

Wells Fargo Financial National Bank, a subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Company, has launched a new revolving consumer credit card program for the jewelry industry called Wells Fargo Jewelry Advantage. The new credit card program offers "jewelry retailers prompt, automated decisions and easy-to-use online processing and reporting." READ MORE

In an article titled "Nobody's Snapping Up GE's Plastic", Robin Sidel writes for the Wall St. Journal about GE's efforts to sell its $30 billion credit card business because of potential buyer concerns about consumers' ability to repay their credit card debts. In particular, there's concern that GE's private label portfolio could rank lower in consumers' payment hierarchy when times are tough.

In an article titled 'Target card or Target Visa? Which is better?', Gregory Taggart of Bankrate.com takes a look and compares private label cards vs. co-brand cards - both from retailers.

Bruce Mohl writes for the Boston Globe about Citi's recent mailing of 3.5 million MasterCards to Macy's private label customers whose accounts have been inactive.

GE Money has announced an agreement to purchase the proprietary consumer credit card business from Chevron Corporation subsidiaries, Chevron U.S.A. Inc. and Chevron Credit Bank, N.A. GE Money Bank will own and operate the Chevron- and Texaco-branded consumer credit cards.

Broox Peterson shares some of his thoughts in a commentary reflecting on Capital One's recent introduction of a new "decoupled debit" card program.

Alan Wolf reports for TWICE (This Week in Consumer Electronics) about private label credit cards - interviewing Brian Hughes, managing director of client development and marketing, HSBC Card and Retail Services, Lou Pagliarini, sales VP, GE Money, and Dan Abbott, president, Wells Fargo Financial Retail Services.

QSR Magazine is reporting that Sheetz has begun "testing an innovative new program that provides debit card customers with rewards similar to those available to credit customers — The Sheetz Debitz MasterCard" with Capital One. Rewards are available on purchases at both Sheetz as well as anywhere else MasterCard is accepted. This is the first merchant using Capital One's recently announced "Decoupled Debit" product that we've come across.