Visa Prepaid Clearinghouse Service Creates Centralized Database to Better Detect and Prevent Fraud Schemes on Prepaid Cards

FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) today announced that it has completed technical development of a new service aimed at detecting and preventing fraud schemes that target the use of prepaid cards. Visa’s Prepaid Clearinghouse Service (PCS) is a centralized database that allows financial institutions, processors and prepaid program managers to share prepaid card data such as enrollments, load funding, suspected fraudulent information and previously reported fraud on existing card accounts. PCS will provide critical information sharing to better identify and stop fraudulent enrollments, funding, use and other fraud schemes involving prepaid cards.

“Visa’s Prepaid Clearinghouse Service will deliver a comprehensive compilation of prepaid account-level data from across the industry, which will help reduce prepaid fraud losses for consumers, financial institutions and their clients,” said Brian Triplett, SVP, head of North America prepaid products. “Criminals are increasingly targeting prepaid products which more and more consumers are using for every day purchases. While existing laws and industry safeguards help limit most consumer losses, PCS is a huge step forward for the industry towards proactively preventing fraud schemes targeting prepaid cards.”

Value assessments now begin with financial institutions and their program managers providing PCS with information such as enrollments, load funding, provisional credit requests, and fraudulent activity to check the database for risky activity. This analysis will allow for unique optimization as assessments are completed. Subscribing participants will then receive real-time alerts to be used in their fraud review decision process.

By participating in Prepaid Clearinghouse Service, participants will have access to a holistic view of prepaid fraud across the industry, enabling them to detect and protect their customers and their portfolios from fraud efficiently and effectively. Reporting information into PCS will be required for all U.S. Visa-issuing financial institutions and program managers, yet PCS is capable of supporting multiple network-branded prepaid cards. All U.S. Visa prepaid issuing financial institutions and their program managers will be required to report into PCS by June 2015.

“Fraud is a constant threat for prepaid program managers, so being forewarned of what attacks are happening across the industry can help them prepare their defenses,” said Ben Jackson, Sr. Analyst of Mercator Advisory Group's Prepaid Advisory Service.

The Prepaid Clearinghouse Service is modeled after Visa’s Issuers’ Clearinghouse Service (ICS), which was created to help reduce bankcard credit and fraud losses. All Visa-issuing members submit information on both fraudulent applications and consumer credit card applications for use during the application and underwriting process. Even today, issuers using ICS continue to show an average incremental lift of more than $30:1.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are identified by words such as “objective,” “goal,” “strategy,” “opportunities,” “continue," “can,” "will" "when available” and other similar expressions. Examples of such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements we make about our corporate strategy and product goals, plans and objectives. By their nature, forward-looking statements, (i) speak only as of the date they are made, (ii) are not statements of historical fact or guarantees of future performance and (iii) are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict or quantify. Therefore, actual results could differ materially and adversely from our forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, including the following: the impact of laws, regulations and marketplace barriers; developments in litigation and government enforcement, including those affecting interchange reimbursement fees, antitrust and tax; new lawsuits, investigations or proceedings, or changes to our potential exposure in connection with pending lawsuits, investigations or proceedings; economic factors; industry developments, such as competitive pressure, rapid technological developments, and disintermediation from our payments network; system developments; the loss of organizational effectiveness or key employees; the failure to integrate acquisitions successfully or to effectively develop new products and businesses; natural disasters, terrorist attacks, military or political conflicts, and public health emergencies; and various other risk factors, including those contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2013 and our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on such statements.

About Visa:

Visa is a global digital payments network that connects consumers, businesses, financial institutions, and governments in more than 200 countries and territories to fast, secure and reliable electronic payments. We operate one of the world’s most advanced processing networks - VisaNet - that is capable of handling more than 47,000 transaction messages a second, with fraud protection for consumers and assured payment for merchants. Visa is not a bank and does not issue cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers. Visa’s innovations, however, enable its financial institution customers to offer consumers more choices: pay now with debit, ahead of time with prepaid or later with credit products. For more information, visit corporate.visa.com.

Source: Visa Inc.