| Chase Card Services Announces ChaseHealthAdvance financing options and ...
WILMINGTON, Del. - Chase Card Services, a division of JPMorgan Chase & Co. [NYSE: JPM], announced today that it has finalized the acquisition of Unicorn Financial Services, a leading patient financing company. The combined company officially launches its expanded set of patient financing products today as ChaseHealthAdvance financing options. Rising medical and dental costs have created a need for new and adaptive healthcare financing options. In addition, the demand for elective procedures ranging from dental, vision correction and cosmetic procedures to veterinary care for pets, is increasing at a rapid rate. The knowledge base that Chase has built in providing consumer credit to millions of credit card holders prompted Chase to develop ChaseHealthAdvance. "As a premier and trusted financial institution, Chase is able to offer affordable, flexible options for those looking to finance healthcare procedures, as well as provide competitive service fees for providers" said Hugh Bleemer, general manager, ChaseHealthAdvance.
Vesdia Launches Innovative Rewards Credit Cards
ATLANTA, Jan. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Vesdia Corporation, a leading provider of loyalty marketing services, announced today the launch of four new Visa(R) credit cards to support its leading reward programs BabyMint(TM), NestEggz(R), Stockback(R) and FundraiserRewards(R). The card launch in partnership with MXT Card Services provides consumers with additional earning opportunities in the rewards currencies that matter most to them. Consumers can apply for the Platinum Visa cards on the program websites through an easy to use web application, and earn rebates of 1% on any purchase made using the card. The new rewards credit cards offer competitive benefits and no annual fee. Cardholders can earn additional rebates of up to 26% of their purchases at hundreds of retailers in Vesdia's merchant network, including top brands like Eddie Bauer, Illuminations, Best Buy, Gap.com, Lands' End(R) and Banana Republic - representing over 100,000 store locations and service providers, hundreds of catalogs and gift cards, and more than 600 leading online retailers.
BBL introduces contactless credit cards
The card can be used at Burger King, McDonald's, Sizzler, The Pizza Company, 94 Coffee, Au Bon Pain, Starbucks and Umm! ... Milk. Customers can also use the card at supermarkets, including Gourmet Market in both The Emporium and Siam Paragon and Home Fresh Mart. Shoke na Ranong, manager of BBL's Credit Card Division, said for entertainment, the card could be used at EGV Cinemas, The Esplanade Cineplex, Major Bowl Hit, Major Complex, Paragon Cineplex and Nai In Bookshops. BBL is the first bank in Thailand to launch the contactless Blue Wave credit card. To make a purchase, the cardholder just waves the card over a reader and waits for acceptance. The card is bundled with the same features as normal credit cards that require a cardholder's signature when paying for goods and services.
Bank of America, Countrywide to Name Sambol to New Role
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of America Corporation and Countrywide Financial Corporation today announced that David Sambol, Countrywide's president and chief operating officer, will lead the combined consumer mortgage business once Bank of America's planned purchase of Countrywide is complete. Sambol will continue in his current role, reporting to Countrywide Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Angelo R. Mozilo until completion of the transaction, which is targeted for the third quarter. In a related announcement, Bank of America Global Consumer and Small Business Banking President Liam McGee announced that Card Services Executive Bruce Hammonds will assume the newly created role of Global Consumer Credit Executive when the purchase closes. Hammonds, who will continue to report to McGee, will be in charge of all consumer credit products, including the consumer mortgage organization, Bank of America Card Services and unsecured lending.
Amazon invests in billing service
Amazon.com has made an investment in Bill Me Later, a service that allows consumers to make purchases online without using a credit card. Terms weren't disclosed Amazon said in a statement Tuesday that it will make Bill Me Later's service available on its Web site. Seattle-based Amazon is the world's biggest online retailer. Microsoft Office 2007 update beats release target Microsoft said Tuesday that it has released the first major update of its Office 2007 productivity software at least one month ahead of its projected target. The software maker said Office 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1) will crash less, is easier to use and is more secure than the original program that was released to consumers in January. Microsoft had said it planned to release Office 2007 SP1 in early 2008, but the company finished updating the software sooner than it expected.
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.
Unsecured Internet purchases could prove disastrous
Students who regularly make online purchases from campus computers or from the university's wireless network might want to take some precautionary steps before punching in their credit card numbers. “If [students] are using the encrypted wireless [network], I think that's fine," said James Shook of Technology Support Services. “[But] I don't think I'd be doing that on the visitor's [network], which anyone can get on."Students can obtain a password for the secured wireless network at www.nss.appstate.edu. Appalachian State also offers free anti-virus software with built-in firewall and anti-spyware protection at www.antivirus.appstate.edu. Students transferring data should do so from secure Web sites, which are signified by “https" in the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or a secure lock graphic, said Director of Technology Support Tom M.
Fifth suspect arrested in kidnapping
Officials have arrested a fifth suspect in connection with last week's kidnapping of a 74-year-old Georgetown man. Jorge O. Benavides, 35, of Buda, was arrested Monday evening, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. Benavides is believed to have made several phone calls to the victim's brother to demand a ransom, officials said. Paul Roland was discovered to be missing when he did not show up at work Feb. 26 and his car was found abandoned in Buda, according to an arrest affidavit. He was found in San Antonio and returned safely after a car chase that involved law officers and three suspects. Police traced them to a hotel in San Antonio after the room was rented with a credit card belonging to Roland. A fourth suspect was arrested earlier on Monday.
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. .
What is social anxiety disorder (SAD)?
The very normality of social anxiety has meant that SAD is often undiagnosed. The person becomes anxious as he/she anticipates humiliation and embarrassment days or weeks before the dreaded event (anticipatory anxiety). During the event he/she is immediately anxious and extremely uncomfortable throughout. After the event, the person may be plagued by concerns about their performance and how others judged them or thought of them. In this way a vicious circle is created. The person may feel that everyone else is far more competent in public and that he/she is not. Small mistakes may appear much more serious than they really are and the person feels that his/her every move or reaction is noticeable to others. Blushing may in itself be painfully humiliating to the person.
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