Content about Financial services

May 13, 2013
Toys ‘R’ Us names interim CEO

Toys "R" Us has appointed Antonio Urcelay, 61, the head of its European operations, as interim CEO, according to a filing the retailer made on Monday with the Securities and Exchange commission, The Record reported.

April 12, 2013
WSJ: Hedge fund pressures Jones Group to sell parts of portfolio

A report by the Wall Street Journal said that hedge fund Barington Capital Group is pressing Jones Group Inc. to slim down by divesting parts of its portfolio.

March 26, 2013
American Express, Wal-Mart expand Bluebird program

American Express and Wal-Mart Stores announced Tuesday that they are expanding their reloadable prepaid card program, Bluebird, to include direct-deposit capabilities for government checks.

March 25, 2013
Jones Lang LaSalle brokers sales of Bethesda Walk

Jones Lang LaSalle’s Capital Markets announced that the firm has closed the sale of Bethesda Walk in the Lawrenceville suburb of Atlanta, on behalf of DLC Management Corp., Tarrytown, N.Y.

March 25, 2013
Research: American Express and USAA tops in credit card customer experience

Research results released by Temkin revealed that, based on a study of 10,000 U.S consumers, American Express and USAA earned the top spots in the credit card sector.

February 11, 2013
MasterCard partners with Mu Sigma to launch analytics products

MasterCard Advisors, a division of MasterCard, and analytics firm Mu Sigma announced a new partnership to develop analytic products toward solving business challenges such as acquiring customers and increasing customer loyalty.

January 16, 2013
Mastercard: Canada trailed U.S. in December sales growth

A report released by MasterCard revealed that Canadian retail sales, which grew just 1.6% in December, trailed the U.S., which also posted less than stellar results for the month.

January 9, 2013
MasterCard Advisors: December total U.S. retail sales up 2.4% year-over-year

Total retail sales (excluding automotive) for December 2012 grew by 2.4% year-over-year, according to a SpendingPulse report released Wednesday by MasterCard Advisors, the professional services arm of MasterCard.

January 3, 2013
SpendingPulse: Key categories over holiday in slight 0.7% year-over-year gain

Spending in key categories experienced a slight year-over-year gain of 0.7% during the 2012 holiday period, with the season slowed down by a combination of factors, according to a SpendingPulse report released by MasterCard Advisors, the professional services arm of MasterCard.

December 17, 2012
Gift card sales to top $110 billion

A report issued by CEB TowerGroup found that sales of gift cards will surpass $110 billion and spillage will drop 20% to $1.7 billion.

December 12, 2012
MasterCard Spending Pulse shows small retailer rebound in November

A SpendingPulse report released by MasterCard Advisors in partnership with Wells Fargo found that spending at small retailers in November picked up a percentage point since October, showing a 5.2% year over year improvement.

November 27, 2012
Merchants to appeal preliminary ruling in proposed interchange settlement

On Tuesday, a majority of named class plaintiffs filed a notice of appeal to challenge a ruling from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York granting preliminary approval to a proposed settlement of a long-standing antitrust class action filed by merchants against Visa, MasterCard and the largest banks.

November 21, 2012
MasterCard Advisors: Hurricane Sandy takes a bite out of early November sales

Spending in most of the key holiday categories, for the first two weeks of the retail month of November was down on a year-over-year basis, according to a SpendingPulse report released by MasterCard Advisors, the professional services arm of MasterCard.

November 14, 2012
Financial institutions adopt V.me by Visa

Visa Inc. announced it has expanded the reach of V.me by Visa, landing more than 50 additional financial institution partners.

November 14, 2012
Gift card spending to reach record $28.79 billion

The National Retail Federation’s 2012 holiday consumer spending survey conducted by BIGinsight showed that 81.1% of shoppers will purchase at least one gift card and will spend an average of $156.86 on gift cards, the highest amount in the survey’s 10-year history.

November 14, 2012
Sales growth of smaller retailers lag industry

A report released by MasterCard Advisors, the professional services arm of MasterCard in partnership with Wells Fargo, found that spending at small retailers in October slowed to an increase of 4.2% year over year, down from a 5.8% growth rate in September.

November 9, 2012
NRF exploring legal options after preliminary approval of swipe fee deal

The National Retail Federation said it will explore all legal options following a judge’s preliminary approval of a proposed class-action settlement of an antitrust lawsuit over the $30 billion a year in credit card swipe fees charged by Visa and MasterCard.

November 9, 2012
NRF: Proposed swipe fee settlement ‘benefits no one’

Lawyers representing the National Retail Federation and many of the nation’s most prominent retail companies are set to appear in court today to ask a federal judge to reject a proposed class-action settlement of an antitrust lawsuit over the $30 billion a year in credit card swipe fees charged by Visa and MasterCard.



November 6, 2012
OfficeMax Q3 profit leaps on extinguished Lehman liability

OfficeMax Inc. reported that net income for the third quarter jumped to $433.5 million from $22 million in the same period last year, as the office supply retailer eliminated non-recourse debt guaranteed by Lehman Bros. Holdings from its books.

November 2, 2012
Target unveils holiday gift card assortment; includes digital option

Target Corp. unveiled its lineup of gift cards for the upcoming holiday season.

October 29, 2012
Survey: More holiday shoppers looking to increase gift-giving this year

Consumers plan to buy more gifts this year, according to a recent survey commissioned by USAA and released Monday.

October 25, 2012
’Tis the Season

By Mark Putman

Perhaps no time of year epitomizes the evolving trend of the integrated consumer buying experience more than the holiday season. Buyers are quickly realizing that rather than spending hundreds on gifts destined to be quietly returned come January 2013, the most efficient use of their money centers on gift cards and other prepaid methods that offer the recipients flexibility and choice. 

October 24, 2012
The Body Shop launches eGift card program from CashStar

The Body Shop launched a new earth-friendly eGift Card service powered by CashStar, a digital gifting and incentives company.

October 22, 2012
Giftango and Burger King partner on digital gift card program

Digital gift card provider Giftango Corp. announced a partnership with Burger King Worldwide to launch the BK digital gift card program, which will allow customers to redeem BK Crown Cards from web-enabled mobile devices, including iOS 6 and Android phones, at participating U.S. Burger King restaurants.

October 8, 2012
Walmart, American Express launch alternative to traditional bank accounts

Walmart and American Express have teamed up to offer customers an alternative to debit and checking accounts.

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