White Papers and Industry Articles

TSYS^® is a leader in the global payments industry, and its staff and affiliates often create reports and white papers on various topics that relate to electronic payments and related services. This page lists papers on many current topics in the payments industry worldwide.

Title: Risky Business: Best Practices for Managing Cardholder Dispute and Chargeback Processes in Challenging Times
Abstract: "In the end, nobody that's ever taken good care of the customer has ever lost; I mean that is the name of the game." Those words from renowned businessman, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Warren Buffet should be instructive to financial institutions struggling to regain and maintain profitability amid a continuing economic storm.
Author: Robert Hadden, TSYS Managed Services
Link: Download

Title: Improving Your Mailing Address Program
Abstract: The intent of this paper is to share industry best practices and standards used in the maintenance of mailing addresses. At the end, you will know which measures to consider for improving your current process and where hidden mailing costs and expenses may lie within your organization. Considering the mailing industry’s rate of change, the decrease in the amount of postal mail, and the costs associated with replacing or updating software and hardware, this paper should help you ask the right questions of your partners to either fill gaps in your program or provide for an effective, end-to-end service.
Author: Source Media & TSYS
Link: Download

Title: Recent Developments Spark Renewed Interest in Tax Exempt Benefit Trusts
Abstract:  Recent changes in financial accounting reporting obligations have caused many employers, both public and private, to re-examine the overall economics of pre-funding retiree medical benefits. These changes, mandated by Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Statement No. 106 for the private sector and Government Accounting Standards Board (“GASB”) Statement No. 45 for the public sector, require employers to report the unfunded cost of future retiree medical obligations on their balance sheets. In an effort to counter this potential adverse balance sheet impact, many employers, both public and private, are re-examining their health plan design – often considering a tax-favored trust for benefit funding.
Author: By John Hickman for Alston & Bird and Mark O’Leary for TSYS Healthcare
Link: Download

Title: Is Your Vendor’s Data Security a Liability?
Abstract:  While it is vital that your institution meet rising risk and compliance tasks head on, just as importantly, your partners and vendors must be up to the task.
Financial institutions face daily pressure meeting PCI, SAS70, Visa®, MasterCard® and annual Consumer Lending rulings (e.g., the Red Flag Identity Theft Program) and need partners who understand reputations are at stake. True partnerships evolve when both parties recognize data security is not simply a box to be checked off, but rather an ongoing commitment requiring constant inspection, auditing, re-inspection and vigilance.
Author: By Will Allred for TSYS Output Services Risk & Compliance
Link: Download

Title: Taking Payments to a Higher Level With More Customer Touch Points
Abstract:  Now that electronic payments have gone beyond the province of the Internet savvy, many financial institutions have begun to expand their electronic payment offerings to include channels such as the call center and interactive voice response units. By offering more touch points through which customers can automate payments, financial institutions can improve customer satisfaction, gain operating efficiencies and boost their cash flow by clearing payments on the day they are received. What’s holding many financial institutions back from pursuing more electronic touch points is an aging support infrastructure with limited functionality. As a result, it can be costly and time consuming for them to expand the remittance capabilities of these applications, as they are not always compatible with newer software.
Author: Source Media & TSYS
Link: Download

Title: On-Demand Payment Cards and Personalization
Abstract: The current economic contraction, increased consumer choice enabled by digital technology, and consumers’ more discerning consumption patterns set the platform for the personalization trend and its adoption across industries, including financial services. Innovation is all the more imperative as credit card issuers face negative annualized returns for the first time in over 30 years. This report outlines the benefits to financial institutions (FIs) of implementing end-to-end,on-demand and personalized payment card strategies to meet niche markets and mitigate operational risks, such as excess inventory. The benefits aren’t limited to large FIs alone, but also extend to small- and mid-sized issuers with existing payment card program portfolios and to those either entering the market for the first time or re-entering it.
Author: George Wolbert, TSYS
Link: Download

Title: TechBrief: A View from the Crow's Nest
Abstract: The issue of fraud, and in particular data compromise, is very topical at the moment. Recent events in Spain involving a major card processor that connects most of the county's automatic teller machine and point of sale networks has acted as yet another wake-up call to everyone in the card issuing, acquiring and processing sector. The fact that an apparently secure network was compromised was considered serious enough for both Visa and MasterCard to release bulletins advising that card issuers should take appropriate action to protect their cardholders' data.
Author: Jonathan Hancock, TSYS, Banking Technology article
Link: Download

Title: TechBrief: The Future is Mobile
Abstract: Near-field technology is the next major technological development that will impact the lives of banking professionals. This is poised to increase the volume of low-value contactless transactions, by allowing suitably equipped mobile phones to be used as payment devices or travel cards. Already being tested in the field, the adoption of this application is inevitable. However, while this development makes sense on a number of levels, it raises significant issues concerning both fraud and data security.
Author: Jonathan Hancock, TSYS (Banking Technology article)
Link: Download

Title: Investing in Expansion
Abstract: Kelley Knutson, executive vice president of TSYS International, is upbeat about the prospects for the global processing market and says the sector's dynamism offers considerable opportunities for the future. With overall responsibility for international strategic direction, client sales, relationship management, service delivery and operations outside North America, Knutson discusses the company's goals and plans in the years ahead.
Author: Ronan MCCaughey, Lafferty Cards Insider
Link: Download

Title: Leveraging Collections as a Customer Retention Tool
Abstract: A new strategy is imperative as financial institutions face $44.4 billion in charge-offs. Financial institutions’ (FIs) charge-off rates continue on an upward trajectory, fueled by delinquency rates that are at a historic high and exacerbated by unprecedented unemployment levels. At the same time, legislation mandating credit card reform is threatening to squeeze FIs’ profitability, transforming collections into an instrumental customer retention tool that is capable of augmenting contributions to an institution’s financial health. This report explores the importance of adopting a modern collections strategy, one that is relevant to the current economic landscape and contributes to customer retention.
Author: Julie Austin and Vytas Kisielius
Link: Download