As your roaming correspondent(s) on matters both pecuniary and payment-based, we often find ourselves in the field to get a look, first-hand, at how the “economy” — which is to say, that system of human activity and trade involving goods, services (and various intentions) is faring.
Category: AVP Solutions News and Events
2014: The Year of the Breach?
We certainly hope not. But the FBI isn’t so sure. A recent Washington Post article states that “nearly two dozen companies have been hacked in cases similar to the Target breach and more almost certainly will fall victim in the months ahead, the FBI recently warned retailers,” this “according to an official who was not authorized to speak publicly.”
Fed Update: They’re Listening. Probably.
They wanted to hear from merchants, processors, bankers, and other, about what could be do to further bring the payment system here in the U.S. (and the way that payment system interacts with systems outside the U.S.) even further into the 21st century, in terms of speed, convenience, security, etc.
Is Card Security Coming to U.S. Credit… “At Last?”
The wake of the biggest data breach in U.S. history continues with its fallout, including the news from targeted Target that the hackers originally were able to pilfer their way into the discount chain’s system by “using electronic credentials stolen from a vendor,” according to an article in the Wall Street Journal.
The Yin and Yang of It: Retailers Push for Secure Cards, Target Already Tried Them
The news of course, in the wake of the most infamous consumer data breach yet, just gets newsier. Some reports indicate that information going back as far as ten years, on Target customers, could have been pilfered in the breach. One couple near the U.S. / Mexican border was arrested after having a cache of false credit cards in their possession, made from what appears to be a fraction of the stolen data.
Claws and Roars: Target, Neiman-Marcus, and Beyond
Yes, there’s more to report on the Target Breach and its fallout. We know, as Pymnts.com columinist Karen Webster wrote, that “The Target data breach is old news to most people by now, but the ’terrible roars’ unleashed by those responsible for this breach will be heard throughout the payments industry for years to come. And, the marks left by the ‘terrible claws’ on the future of retail payments and consumer payment habits may in fact become indelible.”
More Fallout From the Target Breach — and Changes in the Pipeline
More Fallout From the Target Breach — and Changes in the Pipeline Target Breach Overview Transitioning to the topic of…
When New Year’s Was New — Plus: New Cards Coming for the Hacked!
In the spirit of the holidays, we’ve stayed away from some of our “hard news” offerings in this space, to report on more thematically consistent topics, like the history of Christmas gift-giving, or this week — a history of New Year’s itself.
Holiday Spending Up, Card Use Being Encouraged
We realize we’re not even into the actual “Twelve Days of Christmas” yet, but already holiday spending trends are being compiled and assessed. A recent survey from Citi indicates that holiday spending may land on the “up” side this year, after all. According to the survey, “twenty-nine percent of Americans estimate they will be spending more than $1,000 this holiday season, up from 22 percent in 2011. Amongst those planning on shopping for the holidays, Americans will spend an average of $968, up $60 from 2011.”
