Blogs

Ranked Among the Highest Purchase Volumes For U.S. Visa® and Mastercard Commercial Card Issuers August 1, 2022 — Arizona Bank & Trust, a division of HTLF Bank, a member of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ: HTLF) that operates under the brand name HTLF, continues to display consistent strength in the payments space. Nilson Report ranked HTLF among the top U.S. commercial credit card issuers for the seventh year in a row. HTLF saw a 48 percent increase in purchase volume growth and ranked 31st overall among purchasing and fleet card issuers, an improvement from 36th in 2020. ranking reflects HTLF’s innovative approach...

Internal Fraud is the misuse of an organization’s resources or assets conducted by a malicious insider. This individual could be a current or former employee, contractor, or other business relationship who has knowledge of or access to the processes and/or systems within an organization. Due to their knowledge, the fraudster can bypass organizational security measures through legitimate means. Industry Concerns According to the AFP Payments Guide 1: Combating Fraud in a Remote Working Environment “A somewhat alarming 2019 study of executives from mid-sized companies, $50 million to $3 billion...

Credential stuffing is an attempt by malicious attackers to use credentials that were previously exposed from another account platform against an online banking environment. The frequency of this type attack is growing exponentially, and they’re becoming more and more sophisticated over time. With this type of fraud, attackers will aggregate lists of username and password combinations found on the dark web. Using these credential lists, the attackers will script an attack in hopes that customers have re-used the same login credentials from another account platform. It’s dangerous because...

What is Ransomware? Ransomware is a continuously evolving form of malware designed to encrypt files on a device, rendering any files and the systems that rely on them unusable. Malicious actors then demand ransom in exchange for decryption - often targeting and threatening to sell or leak exfiltrated data or authentication information if the ransom is not paid. Who is at Risk of Ransomware Attacks? Anyone with a device connected to the internet is at risk, including government or law enforcement agencies and healthcare systems as well as other critical infrastructure entities. Ransomware...

Unfortunately, it’s no longer a matter of “if,” but rather “when” payments fraud will impact your business. As you look at your payment strategy, does it minimize your risk to fraud? Like many businesses, your strategy may be highly focused on check payments, the most compromised payment type. Sixty-six percent of businesses said their companies experienced check fraud as part of the 2021 Association of Financial Professionals Payments Fraud and Control Report. While other payment methods have been targets, the risk significantly decreases with others; a breakdown is below. Tools and Best...