Welcome to the new FSV Blog

Sometimes we'll point you to a valuable new resource - for example, have you read the Center for Financial Services Innovation's new report on how low and moderate income consumers use prepaid cards? It has some great qualitative information about what reloadable prepaid card consumers like (convenience, the Association brand, immediate access to their money, simple and transparent fees, and the overall value and discipline of the card) and what they don't like (bank overdraft fees!). It's great information for retailers offering a General Purpose Reloadable card or employers who want an intimate understanding of why some of their employees prefer a paycard over a paycheck or direct deposit to a bank account.

Sometimes we'll give you FSV news - like we're giving away a cruise for 2 with airline tickets at the American Payroll Association Congress in mid-May. If you're attending, you'll want to check-out our booth and register to win!

Sometimes we'll give you our opinion - and it will have to wait for another entry, but FSV believes it's time we come up with a new term for the young and low income workers whose needs are not being well met by retail banks. The terms "Unbanked" or "Underbanked" don't begin to describe the hard working people who are the underpinnings of our economy. More on that later.

For now, welcome to FSV's new space. It will be changing every few days, so be sure to bookmark the page and check in often. I'll be overseeing things but my colleagues have much to say, too, so you'll be hearing from many of us. And, we'd love to hear from you, too. Please send your comments to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Cathy Corby Parker
Executive Vice President