Visa Finance chief sees financial regulatory overhaul affecting just 16 percent of revenue

Visa: Finance reform affects 16 pct of revenue

NEW YORK — The part of financial reform that requires limiting the fees charged to merchants when customers use debit cards will likely effect just a small portion of Visa Inc. revenue, the payment processor says.

CFO Byron Pollitt says the provision in the financial regulatory overhaul law targeting debit transactions seems to impact only transactions using personal identification numbers to verify purchases. Those transactions make up just about one-third of the debit transactions Visa processes, accounting for 16 percent of overall revenue.

That estimate boosted Visa shares, which stumbled in recent months as investors worried about how much reform could hurt the company. Visa gained $1.64, or 2.5 percent, to $67.12 in afternoon trading.