Bold Move Pays Off Positively for the Jackson, Michigan-based Credit Union.

Wendy’s restaurants, long known for its “biggie size” servings, might now be better known as a frequent target of “biggie-sized” data breaches resulting in massive credit card fraud.  Since the fall of 2015, according to one industry source, 1,025 Wendy’s point-of-sale systems in the United States were infected with malware during a five-month-long period.   While Wendy’s said they removed the malware, data breaches continued to reoccur in a number of locations including Jackson, Michigan, the hometown of American 1, a leading credit union in the region that vigilantly monitors member accounts for suspicious activity. American 1 says that to date, they have reached approximately $600,000 in fraud (about 150,000 doubles with cheese!) related to the Wendy’s breach leading to a decision that the credit union never imagined that they would have to undertake. 

Expensive and time-consuming initiative makes it tough for gasoline retailers to keep up.

Initially, the liability shift associated with upgrading the card readers at gas pumps, known as Automated Fuel Dispensers (AFDs), was set to two years after in-store POS terminals, due to the complexities of retrofitting or replacing AFDs. But, even those extra two years are proving insufficient for many gasoline retailers. In response to the delays, Visa and MasterCard are postponing their Oct. 1, 2017, EMV liability shift for U.S. AFDs until Oct. 1, 2020.

How Credit Unions Can Grow Profits From This Opportunity

Why make your members wait for their new or replacement cards?

Traditional card issuance involved a credit union requesting a new card from their processor when a member opens a new account, or reports a lost or stolen card. The processor then personalizes a card and mails it, getting a new card in the hands of the member, on average, 8-10 days after opening the account. But instant issuance, the ability to provide an activated card in-branch is a game changer, both for greater member satisfaction, and increased card usage.

The Facts and Myths That Every Credit Union Should Know