Payments/Credit/Debit

Visa USA's effort to spread contactless payments even further has continued to gain ground, this time moving into the back seats of New York City taxicabs.

In what might seem a quixotic gesture of optimism, the $1.4 billion HarborOne Credit Union has not turned first to lawyers or to litigation to recover money it said it lost in a recent card security breach. It has sent the retailer that caused the breach a bill--for $590,000.

With their constituents complaints about credit card practices ringing in their ears lawmakers on the House Financial Services Committee from both sides of the aisle signaled their displeasure with many current credit card management practices and a willingness to regulate them further.

Four more credit unions have sold their credit card portfolios to TNB Card Services, the card portfolio purchasing and servicing arm of credit union-owned Town North Bank. TNB Card Services now owns and manages the card portfolios of more than 125 credit unions, the firm said.

Two powerful nationwide consumer groups, the Consumer Federation of America and Consumers Union, have urged that overdraft loan programs be limited to depositors who wish to use them and not applied to all accounts.

The $1.6 billion Redwood Credit Union has been posting strong numbers to its credit card portfolio for three years running now. The credit union, which processes its card transactions with PSCU Financial Services, had 23% growth in its outstanding card balances in 2005, 28% in 2006 and appears set to...