Tuesday, August 16, 2011

BillMyParents Partners With Procter & Gamble's Tremor, Accesses 600,000 Moms


August 16, 2011 09:31 ET
Word-of-Mouth Marketing Program Rolling Out on Tremor's All-Mom Network, Vocalpoint

SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire - Aug 16, 2011) - BillMyParents (OTCQB: BMPI) (OTCBB: BMPI), a leader in the teen prepaid debit card market, has launched a major word-of-mouth marketing campaign with Tremor, the Procter & Gamble-owned marketing firm specializing in brand engagement through consumer advocacy. The three-month, fully integrated and multi-platform marketing program premiered last week, and will directly reach over 600,000 highly interactive moms -- nearly half of whom have teenagers -- who are members of Vocalpoint, Tremor's massive online community built just for moms. The campaign is part of a comprehensive new multi-million dollar marketing campaign that will extend through the end of the year, span multiple consumer channels, and is expected to expose the BillMyParents brand to tens of millions of consumers.
The preeminent element in BillMyParents' overall marketing strategy to materially penetrate the parenting demographic, the Tremor campaign utilizes a new, disruptive message designed to cut through consumer fatigue and garner attention: 'Plastic that actually reduces teen spending!' Using Tremor's "Try and Tell" review model, this powerful network has shown a deeply proven ability to influence millions of consumers. A dedicated microsite, exclusive Vocalpoint member incentives, frequent social media interaction and focused email communications have been created to drive trials and subscriptions to BillMyParents.
"We wanted to jumpstart people trying, talking about and sharing the BillMyParents teen spending management solution," said Evan Jones, vice president of marketing for BillMyParents. "Tremor has a phenomenally robust and metrics-proven process that includes decades of research on moms and teens, which has made them one of the world's biggest marketing powerhouses. They have helped us develop a very sharp messaging and dissemination strategy to best resonate with Vocalpoint's sophisticated network of engaged moms."
"I'm thrilled to be in this marketing partnership as I'm convinced this is a breakthrough idea in today's era of heightened awareness of financial responsibility," said Tremor CEO and veteran P&G marketer, Chris Laird.
A leading word-of-mouth marketing agency with measurable success on behalf of many household name brands including Pampers, Tide, Bounty and Febreze, Tremor's Vocalpoint members regularly sample new products and participate in surveys and focus groups, providing valuable consumer feedback. In addition, each registered mom is encouraged to share her product experiences with five personal friends outside of Vocalpoint; increasing potential BillMyParents brand exposure reach to more than 2.5 million moms nationwide.
For more information about BillMyParents, please visit: www.BillMyParents.com
For more information on Tremor, please visit: www.tremor.com
About BillMyParentsBillMyParents, Inc. (OTCQB: BMPI) (OTCBB: BMPI) offers the perfect solution for parents who want to help their teens develop smart spending habits. The BillMyParents SpendSmart Card is the only instantly trackable, reloadable prepaid card that lets parents and teens track spending in real time. Features include the ability to instantly lock, unlock and reload the card at any time; text alerts to parents and teens showing real-time transaction details with each purchase; and the freedom and security of a prepaid card without the risk of overdrafts, accruing debt or affecting credit scores. BillMyParents provides parents with a modern way to help teach their teens financial responsibility, when it counts. For more information, please visit www.billmyparents.com.
About Procter & GambleP&G touches and improves the lives of about 4.4 billion people around the world with its portfolio of trusted, quality brands. The Company's leadership brands include Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Fairy®, Gain®, Pringles®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun®, Fusion®, Ace®, Febreze®, and Ambi Pur®. With operations in about 80 countries, P&G brands are available in more than 180 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

Contact Information

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American Express Global Business Travel to Showcase Latest Technology and Travel Management Services at the 43rd Annual Global Business Travel Association Convention


August 16, 2011 10:14 AM Eastern Daylight Time 
American Express Global Business Travel will be located at Booth #1075
2011 Global Business Travel Association Convention
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--American Express Global Business Travel, a long standing exhibitor at the Global Business Travel Association Convention (GBTA), is returning once again this year and can be found at booth #1075. Focusing on the evolution of service, the core foundation of any travel management program, a unique historical depiction of American Express’s brand connection to its long history of service excellence will be on display.
Attendees can follow the journey of American Express starting in 1850 where it first began as a delivery service company helping its customers to connect from one point to another. Original travel ads and illustrations of various payment solutions highlight the journey to now, as one of the largest travel management companies (TMC), where American Express is still connecting customers and continuing to deliver leading, world class service around the world. To round out the experience, attendees will have the opportunity to share their travel stories at the booth and watch as those stories are transformed into images by a visual artist. Also on display will be demonstrations of new technology and innovations provided as an integral part of the TMCs offering with servicing capabilities online, off-line and on-the-go.
Attendees are also encouraged to follow American Express on Foursquare™ (https://foursquare.com/americanexpress). Check in at American Express Global Business Travel’s booth #1075 where special items will be given away throughout the course of the convention.
Summary of American Express Global Business Travel’s Activities at GBTA Convention:
  • Education Session: Travel Industry Leadership: Making Hard Choices in Tough Times
    • TA7 -Travel Industry Leadership: Making Hard Choices in Tough Times
    • Hervé Sedky, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Sales, Global Business Partnerships, Advisory Services and Meetings and Events, American Express Global Business Travel Global will be on a panel discussing ‘how they lead their companies and manage their businesses during challenging times.’
    • Tuesday, August 23 at 10:30 AM
  • Education Session: Implementing Strategic Meetings Management Globally
    • TB15 - Implementing Strategic Meetings Management Globally
    • Jocelyne Côté is Director, Account Development, American Express Meetings & Events and Cindy D'Aoust is Vice President Shared Services & Business Development, Maxvantage are two panelists who will be participating in a session on what it takes to roll out a successful strategic meetings management program globally.
    • Tuesday, August 23 at 11:50 AM
About American Express Global Business Travel
American Express Global Business Travel, a division of American Express Company, is a global industry leader in business travel and meetings management committed to helping businesses succeed through cost-effective program management, world-class customer service, and enhanced traveler productivity and support worldwide. Through leading online, offline and on-the-go solutions, consulting services, business insights and research, supplier negotiation expertise, and meetings and events capabilities, innovative services are delivered to clients to maximize their return on investment. Learn more at www.americanexpress.com/businesstravel interact with peers on www.businesstravelconnexion.com and follow us on http://www.facebook.com/businesstraveconneXion and www.twitter.com/btconnexion.
American Express operates one of the world’s largest travel agency networks with locations in over 140 countries worldwide. Total travel sales volume processed in 2010 was $25.7 billion, including consolidated volume and non-consolidated volume processed through joint ventures and partner network.
American Express Company is a global services company, providing customers with access to products, insights, and experiences that enrich lives and build business success.

Contacts

Media:
American Express
Erica Rose
(o) 212-640-2265
(c) 212-930-7545
erica.k.rose@aexp.com
or
Jamie Colunga, (o) 212-446-1877
jcolunga@sloanepr.com
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FirstMerit Bank Sees Strong Adoption Following Launch of Mobile Money from Fiserv


http://www.fiserv.com
August 16, 2011 09:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time 
  • Eleven percent of FirstMerit active online banking users enrolled in mobile banking within first week of launch
  • FirstMerit implemented Mobile Money within 120 days, from project start to launch
  • Mobile Money selected due to strong product capabilities, roadmap and ability to integrate with existing back-end systems
BROOKFIELD, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV), the leading global provider of financial services technology solutions, announced today that FirstMerit Bank has launched its mobile banking solution using Mobile Money™ from Fiserv. After making the decision to launch its mobile solution, FirstMerit moved decisively, completing the implementation process from start to finish in 120 days. The new service launched in early August, and within the first week approximately 11 percent of active FirstMerit online banking users had enrolled. FirstMerit Bank is a subsidiary of FirstMerit Corporation (NASDAQ: FMER), a $14.3 billion diversified financial services company headquartered in Akron, Ohio.
“We were looking for a mobile banking solution that would integrate easily with our existing systems and allow us to get up and running quickly”
“We were looking for a mobile banking solution that would integrate easily with our existing systems and allow us to get up and running quickly,” said Julie Tutkovics, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, FirstMerit Corporation. “The Fiserv project team was very knowledgeable and made the implementation process a smooth one. Fiserv also helped us develop a launch strategy via their adoption marketing services program and put us in contact with other banks that had already gone through the process, which was invaluable. The tremendous customer adoption we’ve seen reaffirms our decision to launch mobile banking.”
FirstMerit is using Mobile Money FastTrackTM, an off-the-shelf version of Mobile Money that enables financial institutions to offer popular mobile banking features within a condensed implementation timeframe. FirstMerit customers can access the new mobile banking service via an AndroidTM, iPhone® or Blackberry® application, or via SMS (text messaging). With the FirstMerit mobile application and SMS texting, customers can view account balances and history and find FirstMerit branches and ATMs. The secure mobile application also allows users to transfer funds between FirstMerit accounts. Beginning in September, users will be able to take advantage of bill payment capabilities. More information is available atwww.firstmerit.com/mobile.
FirstMerit selected Mobile Money due to the existing Fiserv product capabilities and strong future roadmap, which will support the expansion of FirstMerit mobile banking. While FirstMerit mobile banking is currently available to online banking users, the bank plans to expand their enrollment capabilities to ensure mobile banking is available to offline customers as well.
“FirstMerit understands that mobile banking is quickly becoming a core element of the customer relationship,” said Erich Litch, division president, Digital Channels, Fiserv. “Mobile Money FastTrack is host-system agnostic, providing FirstMerit with the ease of integration they needed, while enabling them to customize branding and user-experience elements. These qualities allowed the bank to quickly launch a highly functional solution that can grow along with their customers’ needs.”
Available in licensed or hosted versions, Mobile Money from Fiserv is the industry’s most complete mobile banking and payments solution. For information, visitwww.fiserv.com/mobile.
Additional Resources:
About FirstMerit
FirstMerit Corporation is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Akron, Ohio, with assets of $14.3 billion as of June 30, 2011 and 207 banking offices and 213 ATM locations in Ohio, Western Pennsylvania and the Chicago area. FirstMerit Corporation provides a complete range of banking and other financial services to consumers and businesses through its core operations. FirstMerit ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Retail Banking in the North Central Region in a Tie" in the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Retail Banking Satisfaction Study(SM). Principal wholly-owned subsidiaries include: FirstMerit Bank, N.A., FirstMerit Mortgage Corporation, FirstMerit Title Agency, Ltd., and FirstMerit Community Development Corporation.
About Fiserv
Fiserv, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISV) is the leading global provider of information management and electronic commerce systems for the financial services industry, driving innovation that transforms experiences for financial institutions and their customers. Fiserv is ranked No. 1 on the FinTech 100 survey of top technology partners to the financial services industry. For more information, visit www.fiserv.com.
FISV-G

Contacts

Media Relations:
Ann Cave
Senior Public Relations Manager
Electronic Banking Services
Fiserv, Inc.
678-375-4039
ann.cave@fiserv.com
or
Additional Fiserv Contact:
Wade Coleman
Director, Public Relations
Fiserv, Inc.
678-375-1210
wade.coleman@fiserv.com

At A Glance

Fiserv, Inc.
Source: via Business Wire
Updated 06/09/2011 by company
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Thales Makes Crypto for Personalizing Mobile Phones with Payment Applications Simpler, More Efficient, and More Secure


http://www.thalesgroup.com/iss
August 16, 2011 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time 
Thales announces new crypto support for mobile payment issuers
WESTON, Fla. & LONG CRENDON, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Thales (Paris:HO), leader in information systems and communications security, announces the world’s first software for Hardware Security Modules (HSMs) that enables mobile payment issuers to deliver their mobile payment applications to mobile handsets Over-The-Air (OTA) in a simple, efficient and secure manner.
“With the widespread adoption of smartphones consumers are increasingly looking for the freedom to make purchases from their mobile handsets”
According to Juniper Research mobile payments for digital and physical goods, money transfers and NFC (Near Field Communications) transactions will reach almost $630bn by 2014. The many recent announcements by handset manufacturers and Mobile Network Operators on the support for NFC on phones suggest 2011 could be the year when phones capable of mobile payments will become widely available.
Today’s mobile payments issuers have to use multiple core cryptographic function calls to build the data needed to issue a payment application and to create the secure messages required to personalize the mobile phone with the application Over-The-Air (OTA). This approach can be lengthy, inefficient, and less secure as it can potentially expose sensitive data.
Thales HSMs now provide for the first time the ability to create a secure message to personalize a payment application hosted in a GlobalPlatform Secure Element, resident in a mobile phone using a single dedicated cryptographic HSM call. The new card and phone personalization software is based on the industry standard specifications for secure messaging developed and published by GlobalPlatform.
“GlobalPlatform is the international organization which standardizes the management of applications on secure chip technology, and has become the foundation for managing and personalizing payment applications on mobile phones”, says Kevin Gillick, Executive Director of GlobalPlatform.” Thales’s implementation of GlobalPlatform’s Specifications greatly simplifies the process required by mobile issuers to securely load mobile payment applications onto mobile devices."
“As a leading provider of issuing applications we are witnessing a signification increase in our customers’ requests to provide systems to issue payments applications to mobile phones”, says Patrick Regester, EVP Sales and Marketing at Aconite. “Using the specific card issuing and personalization cryptographic functions provided by Thales HSMs we will be able to respond rapidly to our customers’ needs with market leading, secure and efficient applications.”
“With the widespread adoption of smartphones consumers are increasingly looking for the freedom to make purchases from their mobile handsets,” says Franck Greverie, Thales vice president in charge of information technology security activities. “Thales is the largest supplier of payment HSMs, and our new dedicated cryptographic functions for mobile payment issuers have come at exactly the right time, enabling card personalisation providers, including Trusted Service Managers (TSMs), to simplify the secure implementation of payment applications and take advantage of the huge growth in mobile-based payments that is being widely predicted.”
Thales Mobile payments application issuing functions are available on its latest generation of Hardware Security Modules, payShield 9000, which include market leading performance and resiliency that today’s data centres demand.
Visit our digital media centre www.paymentssecurity.com for industry issues and comment.
The Information Technology Security activities of Thales
Thales e-Security is a leading global provider of data encryption solutions to the financial services, high technology manufacturing, government and technology sectors. With a 40-year track record of protecting corporate and government information, Thales solutions are used by four of the five largest energy and aerospace companies, 22 NATO countries, and they secure more than 70 percent of worldwide payment transactions. Thales e-Security has offices in France, Hong Kong, Norway, United States and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.thales-esecurity.com
About Thales
Thales is a global technology leader for the defence & security and the aerospace & transport markets. In 2010 the company generated revenues of €13.1 billion, with 68,000 employees in 50 countries. With its 22,500 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design, develop and deploy equipment, systems and services that meet the most complex security requirements. Thales has an exceptional international footprint, with operations around the world working with customers as local partners.www.thalesgroup.com
All trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners

Contacts

Thales e-Security
Liz Harris
+44 (0)1223 723612
liz.harris@thales-esecurity.com
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ServiceU Adds Debit-Only Option to Online Giving and Payments for Churches and Faith-Based Nonprofits



MEMPHIS, Tenn., Aug. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Increasingly, churchgoers are looking for new ways to give, beyond the traditional collection plate passed around during service.
As more Americans have turned to plastic and to paying bills online in recent years, many faith-based organizations are following suit. Some churches, especially larger congregations, have looked to electronic giving -- some encourage members to give online via church websites or mobile applications while others place kiosks similar to ATMs in the lobby, where members can swipe a credit or debit card.
Financial Peace
Biblical values regarding debt and money may offer one explanation. Financial Peace guru Dave Ramsey, an advocate of a debt-free life and of generous giving to churches, often quotes Proverbs 22:7: "The borrower is slave to the lender." Churches nationwide have encouraged their congregations to adopt Ramsey's philosophy of managing money.
At a time when Americans are struggling more than ever with debt, ServiceU CEO Tim Whitehorn began to see that some churches might be willing to take a second look at online giving if congregants could do so without adding to their personal debt.
"ServiceU believes the church should decide whether or not it will accept credit cards, not the software. We now have an option for churches who want to make it easy for members to give online, but don't feel comfortable with the idea of tithing using a credit card," said Whitehorn.
"Debit cards are being used at an all-time high today," writes Financial Peace guru Dave Ramsey on his popular website,daveramsey.com. "Since a debit card is directly linked to your bank account, it's a convenient way to purchase things without incurring debt." This means no interest, no annual fees, and no late fees, which means church members are donating money they actually have.
Flexibility Offered in Debit-Only Feature
This new debit-only option allows churches and other nonprofits to choose debit-only for their donations and still accept both debit and credit card transactions for events and other related payments.
"By implementing this new feature, churches can help ensure that people are not giving their way into debt," explains Joseph Sangl, author of I Was Broke. Now I'm Not.
Whitehorn stresses that organizations should have access to as many choices as possible when it comes to electronic payments. "Churches should be able to choose the types of cards they accept and for what purpose," he says. "This new feature makes debit-only giving convenient for members via their mobile phone, personal computer, or giving kiosk."
About ServiceU Corporation
Since 1999, ServiceU Corporation has been the trusted solution for providing software that helps churches, schools and nonprofits simplify and automate administrative processes by moving them online. ServiceU's core product line includes software to manage event scheduling, online giving and registrations, ticketing, and climate control. ServiceU is dedicated to serving clients with cost-effective tools and superior customer service.
Media Contact
press@serviceu.com
Sales Contact
Russell Daws
901.869.5025
Russell@serviceu.com
This press release was issued through eReleases(R).  For more information, visit eReleases Press Release Distribution athttp://www.ereleases.com.
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SmartMetric Claims Banks Violate EMV Patent


BAY HARBOR, FL--(Marketwire - Jul 20, 2011) - SmartMetric, Inc. ( OTCBB : SMME ) today filed an 8-K with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to update Company shareholders of SmartMetric's continued vigorous defense of its patent, U.S. Patent 6,792,464, concernin...
7/20/2011 3:22:07 PM
BAY HARBOR, FL--(Marketwire - Jun 30, 2011) - SmartMetric, Inc. ( OTCBB : SMME ) President & CEO C. Hendrick said today that the company is looking forward to moving forward in prosecuting its Patent against all offenders and that we have reserved our rights to do so in ...
6/30/2011 9:15:00 AM
BAY HARBOR, FL--(Marketwire - Jun 22, 2011) - SmartMetric, Inc. ( OTCBB : SMME ) President & CEO C. Hendrick announced today that the company will pursue its infringers of its Patent based on the recent court ruling on definitions handed down one month ago in the United St...
6/22/2011 10:17:44 AM
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RETAIL DECISIONS GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND REQUIRED PAYMENTS INDUSTRY STANDARDS


PCI re-compliance on 2.0 is completed ahead of schedule

London, 16th August, 2011 – Retail Decisions (ReD), a world-leader in payment fraud prevention and payment processing, has announced it has completed PCI compliance under the new PCI-DSS 2.0 standard. The re-compliance process has been completed earlier than required, with ReD fully adopting the new version of the standard.

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is an information security standard for organisations that handle cardholder information for the major debit, credit, prepaid, e-purse, ATM and POS cards.  Defined by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council, the standard was created to increase controls around cardholder data to reducecredit card fraud through its exposure.

Validation of compliance is completed annually by an external Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) for organisations handling large volumes of transactions. All assessments must be under version 2.0 of the standard from 1st January 2012, so ReD has announced its upgrade to the new version 6 months earlier than is required.

David Nunn, Head of Information Technology, at ReD, commented: “ReD prides itself on its PCI certification processes and has consistently strived to go above and beyond what is required by the payments industry.  At ReD we voluntarily chose to be certified under the new PCI Version 2.0 standard rather than just renewing under the old standard.  ReD’s products and services exceed all the current security requirements and this is why our clients place so much trust in us”.

About ReD
Retail Decisions (ReD) is a world leader in payment fraud prevention and payment processing. A specialist supplier to the payments industry worldwide, ReD has over 21 years experience in the fraud prevention market. Its blue-chip international clients come from the global telecommunications, retail, travel, petroleum, banking and the broader e-commerce sectors. They include Air China, Comet, John Lewis, Shell, Tesco Mobile, Chevron, T-Mobile, Virgin Mobile and Walmart.

The company has offices in Australia, China, South Africa, United Kingdom and United States, with representation in India, Korea, Japan and South America.

More information about ReD please visit: www.redplc.com

Contacts
Angela Yore and Kimberley Waldron of SkyParlour Ltd
Mobile: +44 7738 822956 & +44 77850 724 157
Email : angela@skyparlour.com & kimberley@skyparlour.com

Kami Boyer, Head of Global Marketing, Retail Decisions (ReD) Ltd
Tel : +44 1483 728700
Email : kboyer@redplc.com
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