| Visa plans IPO aimed at raising over $18 bln
Visa Inc, the world's biggest electronic payment processing company, announced on Monday that it was planning an initial public offering (IPO) in the United States, saying it hoped to raise over 18 billion dollars. Visa, which processes payments for credit and debit cards, said it plans to offer just over 400,000 shares for public purchase. It expects its shares to be priced at between 37 and 42 dollars per share. The San Francisco-based company said in a statment that it plans to launch its IPO as soon as possible. Investors will be able to purchase shares in Visa from a pool of 447 million shares of Class A stock the company intends to sell. The company has hired a group of well-known investment banks to support its IPO, including Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and HSBC Securities (USA) Inc.
Chase Paymentech Debuts Website for Small and Medium Businesses
DALLAS, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Chase Paymentech Solutions, LLC, has launched a new website designed to help small and medium sized businesses affordably accept credit card payments. The new site, http://merchantaccount.chasepaymentech.com, provides business owners with a simple, easy to use guide to access the latest Chase Paymentech payment processing tools. The site allows businesses to research payment products that fit their needs and offers quick access to experts who can customize a program to each business' requirements. These programs feature reliable terminals, low interchange rates to process credit card transactions and even custom gift card programs. Solutions can be designed for merchants who need secure payment solutions over the Internet, point-of- sale, telephone, or mail order.
Heartland Payment Systems buys majority stake in Collective Point of ...
PRINCETON, N.J. - Heartland Payment Systems Inc., which offers payroll and debit and credit card processing services, said Tuesday it bought a majority stake in Canada's Collective Point of Sale Solutions Ltd. Terms of the deal for the payment processing and secure point-of-sale services company were not disclosed. Heartland said it does not expect the purchase of a controlling stake in Collective, which has about 5,000 Canadian customers, to have "a material impact" on the New Jersey's company 2008 revenues or net income. Shares of Heartland fell 6 cents to $21.95 in afternoon trading. .
Frommer: Check bank charges before using credit card overseas
What credit cards should you use if you plan to travel abroad? The mathematics are fairly clear. You start with the fact that all the big banks issuing credit cards charge as much as 3 percent of the total when that card is used for a transaction in a foreign currency. And that expense is over and above the 1 percent charged by Visa and MasterCard for converting the foreign currency payment into U.S. dollars. Visa and MasterCard perform a service in return for their 1 percent charge. The largest credit-card issuers in America -- Bank of America, Citibank, Fifth Third Bank, JP Morgan Chase, Simmons First Bank and Wells Fargo -- all charge 3 percent for doing nothing. American Express charges 2 percent. Wachovia and Washington Mutual charge 1 percent.
MasterCard spent $1.8M lobbying
MasterCard International Inc. spent $1.8 million in 2007 to lobby on Internet-related issues and on fees merchants pay when customers use credit cards. The Purchase, N.Y.-based company spent $880,000 in the second half of 2007 to lobby Congress, according to a disclosure form posted online Feb. 13 by the Senate's public records office. It lobbied on gambling regulations and the use of credit cards to purchase illegal material on the Internet. The company spent $880,000 lobbying in the first half of the year on financial literacy, data security, microchip technology and fees banks pay to credit card networks. Congress is weighing tighter regulations on the credit card industry. The industry came under fire in December, when a Senate subcommitee issued a report denouncing practices that include raising interest rates for customers whose credit ratings decline, even if they make their card payments on time.
Rocky vs. Rambo
His name couldn't even guarantee a theatrical opening. Was it any wonder that old fans groaned when a sixth Rocky flick was announced last year? The franchise's self-respect had been snuffed out by Rocky V back in 1990, so why the resurrection? The critics' chirps were loud and easy: Rocky Balboa was a last gasp of an actor-director desperate to reclaim his former glory. Well, the film silenced the cynical and actually delivered on the promise of the original. Soon another First Blood sequel was announced; John Rambo, now in his early 60s, would return to the big screen and lay waste to bad guys. Cynics roared again. But after early screenings, it's hard to argue with Stallone's decisions these days. Rambo ain't a masterpiece and, like Rocky Balboa, it's a justifiable swan song for an iconic Hollywood character as ubiquitous as Burger King.
A jump in foreclosure-fight resources
No foreclosure news would be the best news. But some recent items do provide a glimmer of assistance for homeowners in distress:
Postcards to the edge: The Chicago Housing Department is mailing post cards listing resources for owners who've had a foreclosure filing that week.
Typically, it's easier to get a lender to ease payment terms before a foreclosure is filed. But because of the number of foreclosures, lenders may be more likely to make a loan adjustment after the fact, notes Dan Lindsey of the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago.
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Amy is back among us, says brother
I should mention here that we all knew how bad her condition was. There was never any denial on the part of my parents, whose fears and anxiety over their only daughter had made them both ill." The singer entered a London rehab clinic, emerging to prepare for her Grammy performance via satellite after she was denied a US visa. She won five Grammy awards, including record and song of the year for her autobiographical hit Rehab. Mr Winehouse said her performance, widely considered her best in months, made the family "truly happy". He wrote: "Yes, the best of weekends. Spurs continue their resurgence, but most importantly of all very definite signs that Amy - the real Amy - is back among us. The hope, of course, is that this time it's for real." The star's mother, Janis Winehouse, told GMTV earlier that she believed her daughter was "on the road to recovery".
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