MasterCard News & Latest MasterCard Headlines

Visa 1Q Profit Rises 16% as Card Use Rises

5:16PM 2/08/2012

Earnings, MasterCard, Visa, Credit Cards

Visa said Wednesday that its fiscal first-quarter profit rose 16 percent, as card use rose both in the U.S. and overseas. The San Francisco-based payments processor posted a notable 10 percent increase in U.S. credit card use. But debit card use rose just 6 percent. That's the slowest debit card growth rate in more than a year, and comes during the first three-month period that new rules were in place to limit the fees retailers pay to accept the cards.

The Foreign Currency Conversion Settlement Check Is Finally In the Mail

3:23PM 12/22/2011

By Dawn Kawamoto, The Motley Fool

MasterCard, Visa, Credit Cards

Sometimes it pays to wait; sometimes it doesn't. Just ask the roughly 10 million cardholders who were part of the Foreign Currency Conversion Fee Antitrust class action lawsuit settlement. After a decade of legal wrangling, the settlement funds are finally being disbursed -- but a suit this large can dilute even $336 million.

How Durbin's Debit Card Fee Cut Backfired on Small Merchants

4:15PM 12/08/2011

By Eamon Murphy

MasterCard, Visa, Banking, Credit Cards

Washington's efforts at financial reform keep having strange and unintended consequences. In response to a law that was meant to lower excessive debit card transaction fees on merchants, Visa and Mastercard found a way to raise the fees on a host of small businesses.

Beyond Card Fees: Banks Look To Sell Your Data

1:15PM 10/25/2011

By Catherine New

MasterCard, Visa, Banking, Credit Cards

New and higher debit card fees may not be enough to satiate the big banks. Financial institutions looking for revenue are now eyeing another source: Selling your debit-card transaction data to marketers. So which is worth more to you: The deals such targeted advertising will bring, or your privacy?

5 Dates to Watch This Earnings Season

11:00AM 10/11/2011

By Rick Aristotle Munarriz, The Motley Fool

Earnings, Microsoft, Apple, American Express, AT&T, Comcast, Whole Foods, eBay, MasterCard

It's been awfully quiet on the earnings front in recent weeks, and there's a reason: This is the time of year when accountants are nailing down the financials for the fiscal quarters that ended in September. Later this week, the conference calls will begin trickling in, and then it will be a deluge of quarterly reports until early November.

Paying Off Your Credit Cards Is Killing the Recovery

12:15PM 9/14/2011

By David Meier

Credit, MasterCard, Visa

Here's the good news: American consumers are finally starting to reduce their reliance on credit and pay off their high-interest debt -- a positive development for their financial futures. The bad news: More money in people's pockets means less overall spending in the economy, which desperately needs the cash right now. How might the tension be resolved?

Why eBay Will Never Be Great Again

3:30PM 8/24/2011

By Rick Aristotle Munarriz, The Motley Fool

American Express, Amazon.com, eBay, MasterCard, Visa

Remember when eBay was cool? You'll have to think hard, because those days are long gone. The online auction site used to carry cool, quirky merchandise, as well as serving as a source of last resort for otherwise impossible-to-find items. Nowadays, it's basically being held up by PayPal, which will soon face challenges of its own.

Don't Pay For Your Nose Job With Plastic

2:45PM 8/04/2011

By Selena Maranjian, The Motley Fool

Health Care, JP Morgan Chase, General Electric , Citigroup, MasterCard, Visa, Personal Finance, Credit Cards

When it comes to the out-of-pocket cost of medical procedures, several financial services companies -- not to mention health care providers themselves -- are willing to offer lines of credit. But patient beware: Plunking down your credit card to pay for any major medical expense, cosmetic or otherwise, can leave your finances with some pretty ugly scars.

Will Google Turn Android Phones into Credit Cards?

8:00AM 3/31/2011

By Dawn Kawamoto

Company News, Technology, People, Google , Nokia, AT&T, Verizon, Citigroup, Credit, Retail, Samsung, MasterCard, Visa

Many major companies are hoping that consumers will use their smartphones as a credit or debit card, and Google may be preparing to join in with its Android phones. But is the trend, which has grown popular in Japan, finally ready to take off in the U.S.?

Inside Wall Street: Turbo-Charged Investment Managing

7:30AM 3/23/2011

By Gene Marcial

Columns, Economy, Investing, Apple, Bank of America, MasterCard

Wall Street is littered with so-called hot and smart investors who flamed-out during economic downturns or market crashes. But Marketocracy says its investment management teams are different -- with stock picks that have demonstrated proven, long-term staying prowess.