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Our bonus coverage includes a triple serving of news from the payments sector and an item about two banks recognized for their creative use of direct mail.

Scroll through to see what you might have missed this week in banking, payments, credit unions and more.

RBC upgrades mobile authentication

Royal Bank of Canada signage outside a branch.
Royal Bank of Canada has begun supporting an identity verification tool for its mobile app that allows customers to use their personal PIN with their card for Android users or biometrics combined with a PIN for iOS users. Called PIN on mobile, the technology allows merchants to enable mobile payments with security technology similar to a traditional point of sale terminal, though with less work required to update the terminals. RBC, which is is one of the first Canadian banks to adopt the technology, also released new research that found 48% of respondents reported being targets of fraud since the spring of 2020, while the Canadian anti-fraud center reported there was more than $379 million in reported losses from fraud in 2021. — John Adams

Albertsons adds shopping cart payment tech

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Bridget Bennett/Bloomberg
The supermarket chain Albertsons has deployed grocery carts with built-in checkout systems at some of its locations, allowing shoppers to pay for products as they place them in shopping carts, using cameras to identify items. Payments are automatic, routing directly the shopper's Albertson app, allowing the consumer to avoid a checkout line. The technology comes from Veeve, a Seattle startup founded by former Amazon managers, reports CNBC. Amazon launched Dash carts in 2020 as a way to add another checkout-free option to Amazon Go. Several technology companies have also developed checkout-free technology over the past several years. — John Adams

USPS salutes KeyBank and Credit One Bank

KeyBank building
Ty Wright/Bloomberg News
The U.S. Postal Service recognized two financial institutions during its National Postal Forum conference. Credit One Bank in Las Vegas received a Partnership for Growth award for outstanding targeting of direct mail offers, “a strategy that many other companies leaned away from in recent years,” the USPS said. KeyBank in Cleveland was recognized with the Central Area Mailing and Digital Innovation Award for a campaign featuring a mailer with a pop-up directing recipients to a checking account enrollment page and the promise of cash incentives. “Utilizing creative strategies to acquire and expand client relationships is key to … staying one step ahead of their competitors,” the postal service said in a press release. Other honorees include CVS Health and the clothing marketplace Poshmark. — Miriam Cross

Merging Houston banks pick the name Stellar Bancorp

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Adobe Stock
After their merger of equals, which is expected to close by June 30,  Allegiance Bancshares and CBTX will rebrand as Stellar Bancorp and operate as Stellar Bank, the Houston companies said. The all-stock deal would create a bank with more than $11 billion of assets, the sixth-largest bank by deposit market share in Houston, the companies said. CBTX's chairman, president and CEO, Robert Franklin Jr., would be Stellar’s chief executive, while Allegiance CEO Steve Retzloff would be executive chairman. “The name Stellar Bank reflects our commitment to provide exceptional experiences for our customers, employees, communities and shareholders,” Retzloff said in a joint press release. — Jim Dobbs

Deluxe partners with BillGO to digitize check payments

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Deluxe has formed a partnership with the digital bill-payment platform provider BillGO that aims to enable more electronic check-payment options. Minneapolis-based Deluxe will add BillGO to its Deluxe Payment Exchange, enabling payers to opt for a direct feed to a bank lockbox by issuing an electronic check or a physical check that’s printed and mailed, if needed. BillGO, of Fort Collins, Colorado, will work with Deluxe to select a disbursement method tailored to recipients’ preferred payment methods based on insights gathered through payment enrollment directories, the companies said. — Kate Fitzgerald

Truliant Federal Credit Union names compliance chief

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Truliant Federal Credit Union in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, named Rik Kielbasa chief compliance officer. Kielbasa previously was chief digital officer for the $4 billion-asset credit union. “Rik’s successful work with leaders across many different organizational areas will be essential to creating greater vision around compliance as we grow … His knowledge of the digital landscape, our partners and our members’ needs will help better position Truliant for the future,” Todd Hall, the organization's president and CEO, said in a press release. — Frank Gargano
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