First Data has named Robert P. DeRodes as its chief technology officer (CTO). DeRodes, 58, will join the company's executive management team and report directly to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael Capellas.

Digital Transactions: Plenty of Upside for eBay in Bill Me Later Deal, Experts Say Virgin America and Barclays Offer New Visa Signature Card With No Annual Fee Western Union expands distribution channels, taps new customer base with launch of online

The September 2008 edition of the First Annapolis Navigator is now available (registration required). This month's feature article is "The World's Largest Bankcard Acquirers". Other articles include: "Retail Loyalty: What US Retailers Can Learn from Our Neighbors to the North",

David Reilly writes for the Wall St. Journal's Heard on the Street column about the challenges US credit card issuers are facing as both credit losses and funding costs are increasing.

Discover has announced that its "U.S. Spending Monitor dipped 2.2 points to 86.5 in September, as consumers grew increasingly concerned about the U.S. economy and worked hard to hold-the-line on future spending plans. More than 55 percent of the nation's

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Now is a wonderful time to be wandering around wine country. The harvest is mostly complete, so there's less chance of being hit by a wine truck, and while there's still a lot going on at wineries, things have faded

While fall is the time to bring in the crop from the growing season, it is also a time to get a cab view of weed issues that may arise next year.

CHARITON --- In many ways, Kristi Ruth is not a typical teenager, if a definition in today's society even exists.

AMES --- Changes are afoot at veterinary schools. One reason is the need for graduates who want to practice what is commonly referred to as food-animal care.

CLIVE --- Patrick Webb believes by playing with a model, pork producers and other interested parties can learn what to do in the event of a disease outbreak.

This past week, the USDA lowered its estimate for corn and soybean production throughout the United States.

ALBIA --- When Junior Gardner started working in an office, he was not as comfortable as being on his farm. So, he moved part of the farm into his office.

AMES --- With workers preparing to move equipment and animals into a huge new addition, spirits are high at Iowa State University's School of Veterinary Medicine, but hurdles remain.

CLARINDA --- Curtis Meier has every reason to believe the future of Iowa's pork industry is bright.

Gave him back to the dirt from which he came. Earlier his family and neighbors walk by, Looking at memories of a simple man's life. A table of photos, toy tractors and cards, Telling the story of life on the

In 1996, Monsanto released Roundup Ready soybeans.

ALGONA --- Tucked inside a pair of buildings in the industrial park of this Northern Iowa community is a company at the forefront of the alternative-energy movement.

Next year, a second herbicide-tolerant trait is expected to show up in soybeans.