Top News In Payments: Bank Closings Hit Rural Areas; Kaspersky Highlights Rise Of Fake Notifications

In today’s top payments news, more than half of the 3,114 counties in the United States lost bank branches from 2012 to 2017. Also, cybersecurity company Kaspersky is putting a spotlight on the increase in fake browser notifications this year. And the pre-orders are coming in for Tesla’s so-called “cybertruck,” days after shattered glass embarrassed the automaker at the vehicle’s rollout.

Bank Branch Closings Take Toll On Rural Communities

Over half of the 3,114 counties in the United States lost bank branches from 2012 to 2017, with rural areas feeling the brunt of the closures per Federal Reserve research. Rural communities with lower incomes or a higher percentage of minorities experienced the most closings, losing 1,553 bank branches in 794 counties, a decline of 14 percent. Urban areas, however, lost only 9 percent of offices in 802 communities.

Kaspersky: Fake Push Notifications Have Grown Nearly 70 Pct In 2019

Kaspersky is putting a spotlight on the rise in fake browser notifications this year, according to a press release. The company said affected users have tripled every month this year. Kaspersky noticed in June a Google calendar scheme that aimed to trick users into giving away personal information. The push scams work similarly and ask people to sign up for subscriptions that they don’t want or download software with unwanted consequences.

StubHub Sale Signals eBay’s Refocus On Core Business

Online platform eBay, which is faced with tepid growth in active sellers as well pressures on top-line growth for its core business, has just taken a significant step in its ongoing review of what’s working and what needs to change. The marketplace company said on Monday (Nov. 25) that it will sell its StubHub ticketing operations to online ticket reseller Viagogo Entertainment Inc. for $4 billion.

Shattered Glass Incident Drives 200K+ Pre Orders For Tesla Cybertruck

Days after shattered glass embarrassed Tesla at the rollout of its so-called “cybertruck,” the pre-orders are coming in — some 200,000 as of midday Monday (Nov. 25) per Tesla CEO Elon Musk via his Twitter feed. Consumers can make a pre-order by putting down a $100 refundable deposit.  The supposedly bulletproof glass on the new Tesla all-electric “Cybertruck” was shattered by a metal ball thrown by the design lead to highlight the strength of the material.

Lessons From Airbnb On Solving The Sharing Economy Trust Issue

To get a sense of how trust will play out in sharing economy listings in the 2020s, PYMNTS recently caught up with Mike Gramz, executive vice president and chief risk officer at Yapstone, a company that provides online and mobile payment solutions for global marketplaces, as well as sharing economy platforms.

PYMNTS spoke to Gramz after Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky announced in early November that within a year, all of the marketplace’s rental properties will be “verified” with a combination of host and guest inputs.

That is the first of four key changes Chesky announced, the others being a 24/7 guest hotline, a guest guarantee, and a special review process for what Airbnb categorizes as “high-risk” rentals. Gramz said that “the initiative they are taking is going to have impacts that are far-reaching in the industry, beyond Airbnb.”

How Spend Tools Feed Food Banks’ Need For Accountability

The mission of some nonprofits is to ensure that those in need have access to nutritious and warm meals. These organizations face higher demand during the holidays — when they deliver food to communities in need.

Among the nonprofits working to feed local communities this holiday season is the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB), which offers food services to 190 cities and towns in the eastern Massachusetts region.

In a feature story, GBFB Chief Financial Officer David Noymer explains how fuel, as well as spend cards, help the organization focus on its mission and win the “game of keystrokes.”