n March. The regulator asked the Tokyo lender to submit a business improvement plan by June 30 that ensures compliance with laws and regulations. A breakdown of Mizuho Bank's computer system led to millions of automated teller machine users being unable to withdraw cash or receive salary payments. It put a wider strain on the Japanese banking system at a critical time, when demand for cash surged after the March 11 earthqAlthough most investigators and credit card fraud teams focus on minimizing cybercrime and identity theft activities launched through spam attacks, the California teams discovered a network of businesses that developed complex fulfillment systems to prevent chargebacks and to encourage repeat business.Under this model, a team of spammers could make more money over time selling many of the same goods to repeat customers than by simply selling credit card account details to fraud rings. Out of 56 completed transactions during the study, only seven of the team's orders failed to arrive.Though top rated credit cards already offer significant consumer protection, few customers feel compelled to file transaction disputes after packages arrive from fulfillment centers in India, China, and even the United States.Visa, MasterCard could team up to block spam fundingEfforts by the technical community to block consumers' access to potentially fraudulent websites have often been thwarted by a combination of hacker attacks and customer frustration. The researchers suggest that American credit card issuers could help curb the growth of spam-sending botnets by choking off the supply of cash to merchants on a "financial blacklist."The team suggested that a partnership between credit card platform providers like Visa and MasterCard could eliminate many spammers' financial incentives, just as a similar enforcement action closed off most Americans' access to illegal online gambling operationin places like Hong Kong and Singapore. Such outsourcing is illegal in Korea. "Such practices are part of the foreign banks' desire to manage their entire Asian portfolio," Kim said. "In cases of big investment banks, trading on a regional level can have a great impact on the domestic financial markets as such management can lead to sharp changes to the portfolios of the banks' local branches." The FSS plans to inspect 15 foreign banks operating in Korea every year to monitor their fund management from this year, citing the need to proactively manage potential market risks. "Foreign banking branches (in Korea) are considered to have a great effect in increasing the volatility of capital flows in and out of the market," the FSS said in a separate statement, adding such branches tend to take on short-term foreign currency borrowings to conduct derivatives or government bonds trading. Kim told reporters HSBC Holdings PLC and Credit Agricole S.A. have already been sanctioned for improper outsourcing of operations involving derivatives. He added that another European bank may be sanctioned fo