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(9/30/97) SpeedPass Becomes SpeedPay in NJ Mobil Corp's new push into fast-pay-at-the- pump technology has hit a roadblock in New Jersey. New Jersey is not a self-serve state, so customers at more than 400 Mobil gas stations in the state are not able to participate in Mobil's new 'SpeedPass' program. -(READ MORE)	(9/30/97) Card Debt Drives High LTV Mortgages The hottest new product in mortgage lending is getting hotter as consumer credit card and installment debt now exceeds $1.25 trillion. -(READ MORE)
(9/29/97) Ask The Credit Expert The National Foundation for Consumer Credit and USA Today will team up this week to hold a national 12-hour telephone call-in to help consumers with credit problems. The "Ask-the-Expert" event is being held in conjunction with the NFCC annual conference underway this morning in Atlanta. -(READ MORE)	(9/29/97) Don't Annoy Me A New Jersey telemarketer announced this morning the launch of a new telemarketing prevention service. 'Don't Annoy Me, Inc.' will add and maintain a consumer's name on the notification list of thousands of telemarketers for an initial membership fee of $19.95 and $9.95 for each annual renewal. -(READ MORE)
(9/26/97) VISA's Fall Promotion VISA will kick off its "Tribute to Style" promotion Oct 1 offering cardholders the chance to win a $25,000 Rodeo Drive shopping spree. By using a Visa card at any participating store from October 1 through the end of November, consumers will be given a unique fold-out "invitation to style" with the chance to win one of thousands of prizes. -(READ MORE)	(9/25/97) Platinum Calling Card First USA takes platinum VISA and MasterCard's to a new level with the introduction of 'First USA Platinum Connect Card' which combines a calling card with a credit card. -(READ MORE)
(9/24/97) Boston Fee Party The Massachusetts Joint Committee on Banks and Banking continued hearings on a proposed legislative ban on ATM surcharges. BankBoston testified yesterday that it has invested $100 million over 10 years in its ATM system and spends about $10 million per year to operate its 1,000 ATMs. -(READ MORE)	(9/24/97) Rapid Rewards Good Deal Southwest Airlines today announced it will offer an Internet sale on fares to and from Phoenix exclusively, for those Customers who make their reservations and purchase travel through Southwest's World Wide Web site. -(READ MORE)
(9/23/97) Penna. Card Options The Pennsylvania Local Government Investment Trust signed a contract with PNC Merchant Services yesterday to enable 2,200 municipal bodies to begin accepting credit cards for payment of fines, fees and taxes. -(READ MORE)	(9/22/97) Rodeo Drive VISA First USA rolled down Rodeo Drive with a new VISA card yesterday on the eve of Rodeo Drive ?s 25th anniversary celebration. -(READ MORE)
(9/19/97) Debit Card's 10% Share Off-line debit card transaction volume will exceed $100 billion this year according to mid-year 'VISA Check Card' and MasterMoney' data. -(READ MORE)	(9/19/97) Bankruptcy Windfall If 'The Responsible Borrower Protection Bankruptcy Act of 1997' is adopted the bank credit card industry should reap a $2 billion windfall. -(READ MORE)
(9/18/97) Responsible Bankruptcy Two members of the House of Representatives introduced legislation yesterday aimed at correcting alleged flaws in the current personal bankruptcy code. -(READ MORE)	(9/18/97) Conservative Students A new study by NJ-based Student Monitor indicates traditional goals of a solid marriage, good friends and prudent personal financial management are tops among today's college crowd. -(READ MORE)
(9/17/97) Aids Card Goes Platinum MBNA's year old "Elton John AIDS Foundation VISA" was beefed up yesterday with the addition of an airline miles program and with a new " Platinum Plus" version. -(READ MORE)	(9/17/97) VISA Cash Celebration SunTrust and Visa USA announced Tuesday plans to implement a "Visa Cash" card program in Celebration, Fla., in the first quarter of 1998. Designed and developed by the Walt Disney Company, Celebration is a new town which encompasses the cornerstones of health, education, technology, place and a sense of community. -(READ MORE)
(9/16/97) Convenient Internet Access 7-Eleven will begin testing credit card driven Internet access stations in eight Seattle-area stores today. Consumers can access e-mail, the World Wide Web and on-line services from the stations without the use of a laptop computer. -(READ MORE)	(9/15/97) Platinum Priority The platinum VISA/MasterCard market picked up yet another competitor with the national introduction last week of NationsBank's "Platinum Priority VISA" card. -(READ MORE)
(9/15/97) Juiced-Up Cards With nearly 25 million "credit challenged" American consumers the sub-prime credit card market is becoming crowded as more issuers jump in offering unsecured credit lines in exchange for exorbitant fees. -(READ MORE)	(9/15/97) Internet Card Fraud The National Consumer League's "Internet Fraud Watch" ranked fraudulent credit card offers as #8 among its top 10 list of Internet scams. The NCL says overall fraud reports have tripled during the past year with multilevel marketing, auctions and sweepstakes also falling among the top 10. -(READ MORE)
(9/15/97) VISA-Host Marriott Sweepstakes Host Marriott Corporation announced today that it has successfully completed its purchase of the partnership units in the Chesapeake Hotel Limited Partnership. -(READ MORE)	(9/15/97) Credit Card Donations for Princess Di Fleet Bank, the official U.S. point of collections for the "Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund," announced today that it has established a toll-free number for those who wish to make contributions to the fund via MasterCard(R) or VISA(R). -(READ MORE)
(9/12/97) MasterMoney Campaign MasterCard is teaming up with a consumer advocacy group to educate 40 million U.S. consumers about debit cards and is launching a $100,000 sweepstakes to raise awareness of "MasterMoney". -(READ MORE)	(9/11/97) New Generation of Convenience Users? A new study shows that 61% of students responsible for paying their credit card bills pay the whole amount each month. The '1997 Phoenix Student Fiscal Fitness Survey' of 1,200 students nationwide also revealed that 24% of students have a credit card for personal use with 77% being the sole bill payers. -(READ MORE)
(9/11/97) Alamo-AmEx Cardholder Alamo Rent A Car has teamed up with American Express to offer something extra at a great price for American Express(R) Cardmembers. From now until December 15, 1997, American Express Cardmembers can rent a Luxury car or a Sport Utility Vehicle, for just $49 a day. -(READ MORE)	(9/9/97) Chase Goes Platinum Chase has joined the Platinum card war to compete with MBNA, First USA, Banc One and Citibank. The Chase Platinum Visa and MasterCard features credit lines up to $100,000, automatic enrollment in 'Chase?s Flight Rewards' program and $1 million in travel accident insurance. -(READ MORE)
(9/9/97) Federated's Family of Cards Federated Department Stores announced Monday a new national customer rewards program called "Family of Cards". The announcement follows three years of prototype development. Family of Cards is a multi-tiered program offering complimentary gift wrap, basic alterations, free shipping coupons, private discount shopping nights and a quarterly newsletter. -(READ MORE)	(9/4/97) Mall VIP VISA PNC Bank unveiled a new VISA card yesterday offering cardholders a 2% rebate on purchases at participating shopping malls and a 1% rebate on all other purchases. -(READ MORE)
(9/4/97) Southwest Airlines - VISA Sweepstakes VISA and Southwest Airlines will launch a sweepstakes this Sunday, to run through Nov. 16, offering cardholders the chance to win a trip for up to 100 friends and family members to fly to a Sea World Park. -(READ MORE)	(9/4/97) Students Get Top Card Use Grades VISA released a study yesterday showing 90% of college students consider themselves good money managers. The 'VISA Scholars & Cents' survey of 251 students also showed that 56% of students pay credit card balances in full each month and most reserve credit card use for high-ticket items. -(READ MORE)
(9/4/97) Pizza Without Real Dough Pizza Hut, Inc. announced Wednesday it will accept bank credit cards at all 4,200 company-owned Pizza Huts in the U.S., beginning Sept. 14. The Dallas-based company has been accepting credit cards at selected locations for the past 12 months, and to date, more than 80% of Pizza Hut units are currently participating. -(READ MORE)	(9/2/97) VISA's NFL Kickoff VISA kicked-off its third NFL partnership year last night with a new national TV spot featuring "Superbowl Bowl Champs", the Green Bay Packers, a "$1 Million Mall Promotion", the "VISA NFL Ultimate Week of Football Sweepstakes" and a $25,000 donation to each NFL team?s designated charity. -(READ MORE)
(9/3/97) Japan's ATM War Competition is heating up in Japan between the Posts Ministry and private sector banks over ATM service hours and fees. Japan's Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications requested a 6 billion yen appropriation this morning to expand ATM service to weekends and holidays. -(READ MORE)