NWP Services Corporation Validates Compliance with Payment Card Industry (PCI)

March 31, 2011 - PRLog -- NWP Services Corporation (NWP), a leading provider of financial transaction processing solutions for the multifamily housing industry, announced today it has been validated compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) as a Level 1 service provider for the second consecutive year. Trustwave, the leading provider of PCI DSS compliance management solutions, performed the validation.

PCI DSS is the payment card industry security requirement for entities that store, process or transmit cardholder data, and has been endorsed by all the major card brands. Founded by American Express®, Discover® Financial Services, JCB, MasterCard® Worldwide, and Visa® Inc., the PCI Security Standards Council is an independent body formed to develop, enhance, disseminate and assist with implementation of security standards for payment account security. NWP continues to be one of the few multifamily billing service providers in the U.S. to achieve PCI DSS compliance.

“Our clients trust us with their residents’ most precious data, their personal credit card information,” said Jim Charles, senior vice president for NWP. “Keeping that data secure is the most important action we can take as a leading billing and electronic rent payment services provider to the multifamily housing industry. NWP has worked hard to achieve PCI DSS compliance, because without data security for our clients and their residents, nothing else matters,” Charles added.

Identity theft and the tools to prevent it are among the hottest topics for apartment communities which accept credit card transactions online. That means ensuring that cardholder data is secured at all times, both to protect residents and to safeguard against damage to property management companies’ brand equity and public reputations.

“Identity theft, privacy and payment fraud are critical concerns for property managers and residents," said Rob Grable, security officer for NWP. "Companies that comply with the PCI DSS are protecting the security and integrity of sensitive data and protecting themselves from large fines and losses. Properties who select NWP can have the confidence that their e-commerce platform is compliant with established security best practices through the PCI certification," Grable added.

To maintain compliance with the PCI DSS, NWP has enrolled in Trustwave’s on-demand compliance management solution, TrustKeeper® to access the necessary tools to support on-going compliance such as external vulnerability scans. Additionally, NWP proactively tests its internal network and passed an internal penetration test, ensuring adequate controls are in proper place for any person with access to the internal corporate LAN/WAN environment.

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NWP provides financial transaction processing services for the multifamily industry. NWP is a recognized leader in service quality for resident billing, resident payment processing and utility management services.