A federal judge's ruling that ends Visa andMasterCard's practice of barring member banks from issuing credit cards fromcompetitors such as American Express and Discover is likely to trigger a tidalwave of competition for consumers' business. But in the corporate world ofpurchasing cards, does this give anyone a leg-up?

American Express claims it does. The October ruling by U.S. District JudgeBarbara Jones enables Amex to pursue ventures with banks similar to the ones ithas overseas. American Express is a partner with 70 financial institutions in 77countries to offer corporate cards under those institutions' names and believesJones' decision will enable it to strike similar alliances with U.S.-basedbanks.

Yet some experts say that the ruling isn't likely to change the p-card landscapetoo significantly. My gut feeling is that because purchasing programs takeup a lot of resources, issuing banks aren?t likely to take on a new purchasingcard product, says Stephanie King, president of CPR Consulting Inc., aLivermore, Calif.-based consultancy that focuses on the p-card sector.