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We ask, listen and solve.

SpotlightCED0404I

Merchant LandscapePrepared Exclusively for Commerce Bank Merchants

Summer 2014

Merchant Client Support CenterOur in-house Merchant Support Center is available toll-free for personalized customer service during business hours, with dedicated, highly trained Commerce Bank representatives ready to help with your needs.

Merchant Support Center 1.800.828.1629 Monday – Friday 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. CT Visit us at commercebank.com/MerchantServices

This publication does not constitute legal, accounting or other professional advice. Although it is intended to be accurate, neither the publisher nor any other party assumes liability for loss or damage due to reliance on this material. © 2014 Commerce Bancshares, Inc.

What’s Inside...Processing News:(P.1) EMV Chip Card – Continued Efforts

FYI on PCI:(P.2) Avoid Fees, Complete Annual

Compliance Questionnaire

Best Practices:(P.3) Data Security – Fraud/Breach Prevention

Spotlight:(P.4) Plan Ahead – Order Customized Gift

Cards for the Holidays!(P.4) Merchant Referral Rewards

Plan Ahead – Order Customized Gift Cards for the Holidays!Impress your clients with a Commerce Bank gift card program. Gift cards are a simple and memorable way to promote your business and boost revenue – year round or during the fall’s frenzied pre-holiday buying season. To attain optimal ROI with your gift card program, plan in advance; allow for time to customize your card package. Generally, to receive gift card materials by October 1st, plan to place your order by mid-August.

To speak with a Commerce Bank Merchant Support Representative about a custom gift card plan for your business, call 800-828-1629.

Referral RewardsIf you refer one or more fellow business owner(s) who could benefit from the same convenience and world-class service we provide you, Commerce will reward you with up to $500!*

Your friends will thank you when they too experience the benefits provided by one of the top-rated banks in the industry.

• Easy payment acceptance anytime, anywhere• Dedicated in-house support teams• Next business day funding• Advanced fraud security• 99.9% system uptime

For more information regarding our Referral Rewards program, including how to earn up to $500 for referring business friends to Commerce Bank Merchant Services, visit www.commercebank.com/ReferralRewards.

* This offer applies only to merchants who currently have an active merchant account with Commerce Bank Merchant Services. Offer is valid upon new merchant account activation by Referred party; Commerce Bank will apply a $100 credit to Referrer’s Merchant Services account within 90 days of Referred party’s new merchant account activation. Limited to five $100 credits per Tax ID, per year ($500 in credit per year). Offer subject to change at any time.

Europay/MasterCard/Visa (EMV) is a trending topic in the United States, as the major U.S. card companies – American Express®, Discover®, MasterCard® and Visa® – continue to roll out their plans to migrate the U.S. to an EMV-based payments infrastructure.

EMV cards provide increased protection against fraudulent activity via an embedded computer chip that validates the card and the cardholder. The chips are virtually impossible to duplicate, and combined with stronger authentication methods, make counterfeit fraud nearly impossible.

Liability Shift – October 1, 2015All card brands in the U.S. will institute a liability shift as part of an aggressive strategy to abate the use of magnetic strip cards. Beginning October 1st, 2015, the liability shift dictates the party that fails to support EMV will be held

financially responsible for any card-present, counterfeit fraud losses. The shift encourages chip transactions using unique authentication data that will better protect all parties involved.

Commerce Bank promotes the U.S. migration to an EMV-based infrastructure, and merchants are encouraged to consider terminal upgrades they may need to support emerging chip technologies. As the counterfeit liability shift date approaches, Commerce can help merchants assess their readiness for a POS system compatible with the chip platform, and offer solutions that best meet their business needs.

For more information on the U.S. EMV card migration, contact the Commerce Bank Merchant Support Center at 1-800-828-1629.

EMV Chip Card – Continued Efforts

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Data Security – Fraud/Breach Prevention

Best Practices

Accepting credit card payments subjects your business to the ineradicable danger of fraudulent activity, including unauthorized card payments, card skimming and cloning, and data compromises.

To protect your customers’ card data and reduce your risk of fraud, Commerce Bank requires that all merchants comply with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS). If your annual PCI DSS certification expires, your business will be charged a monthly non-compliance fee of $19.95.

Additionally, the PCI Security Standards Council® has released simple steps to support your security efforts:

• Educate. Train your employees annually on both online and physical security threats, in addition to best practices for protecting cardholder data. Maintain employee manuals with current information regarding proper handling of sensitive material and data.

• Safeguard. Protect your business with a firewall, anti-virus, malware and spyware detection software – and habitually install updates as soon as they become available.

• Control. Tightly control software installations, downloads, thumb drive use and public Wi-Fi connections on computers used for payment card processing.

• Isolate. Designate a separate computer for processing online financial transactions. Try to avoid social media, email and general internet use on this workstation, which can present susceptibility to vulnerabilities.

• Change. Frequently change passwords, especially after outside contractors perform hardware, software or Point of Sale System installations or upgrades. Use complex passwords that include upper-case letters, numbers and special characters.

• Back Up. Regularly back up key data you

wish to protect, whether to a local machine or an offsite facility, so your business can quickly reassume functionality in the unfortunate event of a system breach.

For additional information about PCI Standards and education and training resources available to your organization, visit www.pcisecuritystandards.org. Commerce Bank’s PCI Specialist, Amber Simpson, is also available for questions at 816-234-2197.

Visit us at www.commercebank.com/MerchantServices

FYI on PCI

Commerce Bank’s continued commitment to provide you the highest level of service and security requires Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) compliance. Punctual submission of the requisite annual Self-Assessment Questionnaire (SAQ) ensures you retain PCI DSS certification, and avoid a monthly Non-Compliance Fee charge of $19.95.

The PCI Security Standards Council recently published PCI DSS version 3.0, which emphasizes integrating security into day-to-day business practices and educating about enterprise-wide security education. This update may bring minor variations in your SAQ, but the process remains the same – follow the steps below to effectively maintain your certification.

1. Remember, your SAQ renewal is based on the completion date of your last SAQ. 90 days prior to your PCI DSS compliance expiration you will receive an email from Trustwave, alerting you that it is time to recertify.

2. To ensure you receive Trustwave emails, log in to your Trustwave TrustKeeper® account – https://login.trustwave.com – and update your account with a current email address. Verify Trustwave is on your email system’s approved senders list.

3. Review the “PCI Self-Assessment” section on your dashboard.

4. Click “Start” to restart your SAQ. (Or, if you have already begun a new assessment, click “Continue” to complete.)

5. Once you’ve completed the PCI Self-Assessment, the PCI Certification Status on your dashboard will indicate that you have renewed your SAQ for another year.

Commerce Bank employs a dedicated PCI Business Analyst to support your understanding, awareness and progression toward PCI compliance. Should you have any questions regarding PCI DSS or obtaining certification, call us at 1-800-828-1629.

Avoid Fees, Complete Annual Compliance Questionnaire

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