Philadelphia-area bank to accept check deposits from mobile phones

Customers of Conestoga Bank in suburban Philadelphia soon will be able to deposit checks from their mobile phones as part of an agreement the bank signed Monday with J&B Software Inc.
J&B Software, a payment processing, imaging and electronic content-management company, will provide a hosted mobile-deposit solution for Conestoga customers, enabling them to deposit checks into their accounts from their iPhone, Blackberry, Android and other cellular phones, says a J&B Software spokesperson.

Conestoga Bank decided to offer customers check deposits from their mobile phones because J&B Software’s hosted service reduced many of the upfront costs of installing a mobile-deposit system, Richard Elko, president and CEO of Conestoga Bank, tells ATMMarketplace.
Conestoga Bank, which is based in Chester Springs, Pa., will launch the mobile-phone deposit service later this year. "It will be available in September after summer ends," Elko says.

Apple iPad targeted by Avaya device

While Apple is set to rev up the hype machine at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) today, Avaya seems about ready to introduce an iPad-like device for business users that might steal a little of Steve Jobs thunder. The Avaya device acts like a phone, has support for video and all manner of wireless technology.

The concept of such a chameleon appliance was revealed by Avaya during VoiceCon last fall when the company said it would blend the device with versions of Skype, Google and Yahoo applications hardened for business use.

How Sybase rescued itself and became worth $6 billion

 Few companies get a chance at a second life. When John Chen signed on as CEO of Sybase in 1998, the database software vendor was, in Chen's own words, "a very, very dead company." Once a strong competitor to Oracle, Sybase had lost its way, in part because it missed the opportunity to enter the enterprise application market Oracle now leads.

Over the next decade, through the efforts of Chen and his team, Sybase turned around and reinvented itself as an enabler of the "unwired enterprise." Then, in mid-May, enterprise software giant SAP offered to aquire Sybase, citing Sybase's leadership in both mobile and in real-time analytics.

Man accused of biggest credit-card breach in U.S. history

According to an article just filed by The Washington Times, the Justice Department has charged a Miami man with perpetrating what is being coined "the largest alleged credit and debit card data breach ever charged in the United States."

The Times reports that Albert Gonzales, 28, is accused of stealing data that affected more than 130 million credit and debit cards. Gonzales, whose nicknames include "soupnazi," targeted 7-Eleven; Heartland Payment Systems; and Hannaford Brothers Co. Inc., a Maine-based supermarket chain.

Along with two unnamed co-conspirators, Gonzales launched an attack on the networks and sent the stolen credit and debit card information to computer servers in California, Illinois, Latvia, the Netherlands and Ukraine. In one earlier case, Gonzales was charged with stealing credit card information after hacking into the computer networks of TJX Corp., a discount chain that operates Marshall's and TJ Maxx stores. He also reportedly infiltrated BJ's Wholesale Club, Barnes & Noble Inc., the Sports Authority, Boston Market restaurants, Office Max, Dave & Buster's restaurants, DSW shoe stores and Forever 21. In that case, he is accused of stealing 40 million credit card numbers.

Gonzalez is being held in New York and faces decades in prison if convicted in all three cases.

Source: ATMMarketPlace.com

SunGard adds corporate actions feed to MarketMap

SunGard has expanded the market data content of MarketMap, its multi-asset market data, analysis and information services solution, with the addition of a new global corporate actions data feed from Exchange Data International. According to EDI, the feed covers data for 78,000 equities, 4,100 depository receipts and 2,700 exchange-traded funds.

MarketMap provides access to data from around 160 exchanges and over-the-counter sources. The new consolidated corporate actions feed should help MarketMap customers receive a range of corporate information issued from over 100 countries on the same user interface as the price information, helping keep access simple. It will also add to MarketMap's securities instrument and time-series databases with price history adjustments, as well as merger and acquisition data, changes of ISIN, stock adjustments, capital changes and dividend payments.
Source: Banking Technology Magazine

Luup draws on T24 to support mobile payments

Mobile payments systems provider Luup will be integrating Temenos T24 banking components as part of Luup's growth strategy for their existing mobile payments offering aimed at financial institutions and their customers, from corporates to consumers. Additionally a strategic partnership agreement between Luup and Temenos is expected to open up joint business and growth opportunities.

In the retail banking sector Luup can allow banks to offer person-to-person money transfer and ATM cash-out, person-to-merchant bill payments, salary payments to name a few. Added to this, are the possibilities of global mobile remittance services. For corporate banks and their corporate clients, Luup's technology is designed to enable corporates' end users to make and receive payments, authorise invoices and initiate payments using a company mobile.

Temenos will provide Luup with a range of banking functions to complement its existing platform through a service oriented architecture. It is hoped that this will deliver the flexibility and scalability required to progress the business further globally.

Source:Banking Technology Magazine

People Using Iphones as Wallets

New iPhone case turns phone into mobile wallet

In the near future, customers may be able to use their iPhones as creditcards. DeviceFidelity has built an iPhone case that will enable an iPhone itself to be used as a form of payment. Customers would be able to leave purses and wallets at home, carrying only their iPhone, and make purchases. While similar devices are commonly used in Japan, DeviceFidelity’s website will run trials in the second quarter of 2010 for North American usage.

Source: ATM Market Place

Branchless Banking is just 19% cheaper than Traditional Banks

According to the recent CGAP’s global pricing study report on banking services targeting poor, unbanked and under-banked people in Africa, Asia and Brazil, mobile banking and other forms of branchless banking are found to be cheaper than traditional banking, but the gap between the two is not a very significant one. The study, conducted across 16 providers and 10 countries finds that on an average, branchless banking is just 19% cheaper than traditional banks. 

The study analyzed the services of branchless banks like Afghanistan’s M-Paisa, Brazil’s Bradesco and Caixa, Cambodia’s Wing Money, India’s Eko, Kenya’s M-Pesa and Zap, South Africa’s Mobile Money etc. It found that by comparing 26 branchless banking pioneers and traditional banks with products aimed at the same kind of customers, on average, branchless banking is 19% cheaper across eight services. These services included money transfer, short‐term safekeeping, medium‐term saving for asset, bill payments, high usage (as a proxy for financial inclusion) average monthly transactions per M‐PESA user in 2008 and average monthly transactions per Kenyan banking customer in 2008.

New Credit and Debit Card Security Technology by Heartland Payment Systems

Heartland Payment Systems has commercially launched its new state-of-the-art payment card security technology.

According to a press release, Heartland has spent more than two years developing, and 10 months beta testing, this end-to-end encryption technology called E3. E3 is designed to protect cardholder credit and debit card information, rendering scrambled data useless to cyber criminals.

Sun National Bank Goes Mobile With mFoundry

Multi-Mode Sun on Hand(TM) Solution Allows Customers to Bank from Any Mobile Device

Sun National Bank announced today that it has partnered with mFoundry to launch Sun on Hand(TM), a state-of-the-art, fully integrated and comprehensive mobile banking solution for its customers. Featuring text messaging, mobile web and application technology, the program makes financial management possible anytime, anywhere for people with mobile phone access.

Sun on Hand(TM) provides Sun National Bank customers with secure access by allowing them to check account balances, search transaction history, transfer money, and pay bills via their mobile device. Launched in late February 2010, the integrated program supports interactions via instant text messaging (SMS), mobile web browser, and mobile applications for use on the iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry and other major devices. Recognizing that today's banking consumers seek enhanced connections to their financial institutions, mobile banking helps redefine convenience.

US Airways Wins Self-Service Excellence Award by Extending Self-Service Check-in to the Curb

US Airways has received the 2010 Self-Service Excellence Award in the "Best Travel/Hospitality Deployment" category for improving the passenger experience with self-service check-in kiosks from NCR Corporation. Presented annually by KioskCom, the awards  recognize the most innovative and successful self-service programs.

US Airways partnered with NCR, a leading provider of travel self-service solutions, to reduce wait times and streamline passenger processing. The airline initially deployed NCR TouchPort IIC kiosks in 2007 to improve passenger flow within the airport. With passenger usage at nearly 80 percent, US Airways extended the convenience of self-service check-in to the curb with the first deployment of "outdoor" NCR TouchPort 80 kiosks.

Android owners are top mobile banking users

Oddly enough, iPhone users aren’t those most likely to be doing their banking via mobile device. Instead, Android users are the most frequent users of mobile banking technology, according to a report by Javelin Strategy & Research.


The report, which focused on the expected rapid increase in consumer use of mobile banking, found Android owners were the most likely to have logged into their bank’s mobile site in the past seven days. iPhone users came in second.

Mobile banking popular and growing fast
Though mobile banking still lags behind traditional banking and online banking in terms of popularity, smart phone users are adapting to the technology quickly.

Nearly half of iPhone and Android owners use mobile banking at least once every three months. That total is nearly triple the average for all consumers. About 20% of all consumers expressed interest in banking from their phones. But as smart phone penetration grows, that number is expected to rise as more people adopt mobile banking, according to the report.

Source: My Bank Tracker

Sybase Announces Sybase Mobility Platform

Sybase is unveiling its Sybase Mobility Platform, a framework for bringing business applications and services such as banking and analytics to mobile devices. Many of those applications leverage SAP products such as SAP Business Suite, although Sybase executives are not saying how SAP’s recent $5.8 billion acquisition of Sybase will ultimately affect the Sybase Mobility Platform’s future roadmap. The Sybase Mobility Platform involves several components, including mobile servers, mobile applications, and mobile services.

Sybase unveiled the Sybase Mobility Platform, a framework for bringing business applications and services such as banking and analytics to mobile devices, on May 20. The platform features mobile servers, applications and services operating in tandem. The more prominently featured initial applications include Sybase Mobile Sales for SAP CRM and Sybase Mobile Workflow for SAP Business Suite, reflecting the close partnership that eventually led to SAP’s recent bid for Sybase.

Free Webinar: Retail Banking Outsourcing - An executive roadmap to optimizing branch operations

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Date: May 27, 2010

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Source: ATM Market Place

State Bank of India launches State Bank freedoM - Mobile Banking Service

Customers can transfer funds, view the balance & mini statements of their accounts, pay bills, request for cheque book, recharge prepaid mobile connections, view Demat Account details, top up Tatasky/ Other DTHs and conduct mCommerce transactions.

State Bank Mobile Banking Service, “State Bank freedoM”, was launched in March 2009 on a pilot basis in all the branches of State Bank of India offering its retail customers another alternate channel for simple, convenient, secure, Anytime Anywhere Banking experience. Registration for the Service has been enabled at ATMs and customers holding Debit Cards can register for the facilities without visiting any branch. The service is offered free of charge by the Bank. However, the customers will have to pay the charges levied by the telecom operators for the SMS/ GPRS.