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NRF Says PIN Essential on New Credit and Debit Cards
[March 07, 2014]

NRF Says PIN Essential on New Credit and Debit Cards


WASHINGTON --(Business Wire)--

The National Retail Federation issued the following statement from Senior Vice President and General Counsel Mallory Duncan in response to today's announcement by Visa and MasterCard (News - Alert) of the formation of a new cross-industry group focused on enhancing payment system security:

"We remain insistent that U.S. retailers' customers be given the same protections as consumers in more than 80 countries who have both a chip and a PIN securing their credit and debit cards. There is no single solution to the complex issue of criminal hacking and we know PIN and Chip is just a bridge on the long road to a safer payment system, but it is an important step in the right direction.

"We appreciate being involved in meetings with other stakeholders such as the one hosted by Visa and MasterCard last week. While we certainly agree that speed is of the essence we don't believe that is an obstacle to introducing PIN and Chip cards since the technology is well established and the cards are widely used around the globe.



"Easy-to-forge signatures are a virtually worthless form of authentication. Insisting on chip-and-signature cards is like installing an alarm on the front door of a home while leaving the back door wide open. It doesn't make sense when the technology exists to secure the entire house."

NRF is the world's largest retail trade association, representing discount and department stores, home goods and specialty stores, Main Street merchants, grocers, wholesalers, chain restaurants and Internet retailers from the United States and more than 45 countries. Retail is the nation's largest private sector employer, supporting one in four U.S. jobs - 42 million working Americans. Contributing $2.5 trillion to annual GDP, retail is a daily barometer for the nation's economy. NRF's This is Retail campaign highlights the industry's opportunities for life-long careers, how retailers strengthen communities, and the critical role that retail plays in driving innovation. www.nrf.com



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