ANNOUNCEMENTS

Cardtronics Files for IPO

Cardtronics, Inc. filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to its initial public offering of common stock. The lead manager of the offering is Credit Suisse First Boston.

Cardtronics is a non-bank owner of ATMs in the United States-it has more than 12,000 ATMs in all 50 states. Cardtronics offers its ATM products and services primarily to retail outlets such as convenience stores, supermarkets, membership warehouses, drug stores and shopping malls.

Two More Companies Are Compliant with Visa CISP

Global Axcess Corp.'s wholly owned subsidiary, EFT Integration, Inc., and Plug & Pay Technologies, Inc.-in separate announcements-said they were notified by Visa that they are compliant with Visa's Card Information Security Program (CISP). CISP is a standard for securing Visa cardholder data, wherever they are located. CISP compliance is required for all solutions that store, process or transmit Visa cardholder data.

MasterCard Reports Growth for 2003

MasterCard International said cardholders used more than 632.4 million MasterCard-branded cards for nearly 15 billion transactions in 2003, generating a gross dollar volume (GDV) of $1.27 trillion-an increase of 5.9% on a local currency basis and an increase of 10.4% on a U.S. dollar basis-over 2002. In addition, use of Maestro, MasterCard's online, PIN-based global debit brand, grew in 2003, with the Maestro brand appearing on more than 520 million cards worldwide, a 13.8% increase over year-end 2002.

Pipeline Data to Get $3 Million Financing

Pipeline Data Inc. entered into a financing arrangement with Laurus Master Fund, Ltd., a financial institution that funds small and micro-capitalization companies. Laurus Funds is providing Pipeline with up to $3 million in financing. Pipeline provides transaction-processing services for all major credit cards. It offers card processing services for wireless mobile payment, e-commerce and retail merchant payment solutions.

Prodigi Announces Pilots of TranzRoute

Prodigi Prepaid Solutions, Inc., a provider of point-of-sale-activated (POSA) solutions and prepaid cards, announced it has successfully launched pilots using TranzRoute, a POSA device. TranzRoute is about the size of a portable CD player. It enables existing credit card terminals to process prepaid cards such as phone, wireless, debit and gift cards by connecting to the terminal's phone line.

With TranzRoute, prepaid card swipe transactions go directly to Prodigi's back-office processing platform, ProdigiNET, while credit card swipe transactions pass through unhindered.

TrustCommerce Certified with Global Payments

TrustCommerce received certification from Global Payments Inc. for its product, TC CrediKey. CrediKey offers numerous payment options and packages that enable merchants to generate revenue in a highly secure, easily adaptable and efficient environment.

Visa Interlink PIN Debit Network Use Grows

Visa USA said its Interlink PIN debit network saw a 43% increase in dollar volume and a 39% increase in the number of POS transactions for the month of January 2004 compared to January 2003. In January 2004, Interlink processed more than 93 million transactions worth $3.3 billion, compared to 67 million transactions worth $2.3 billion in January 2003.

The number of merchant locations accepting Interlink grew by 19% over the same time period. The Interlink merchant base is now at 1.2 million locations and growing by more than 200,000 new merchant locations annually. Visa said the increases are from growth in merchant acceptance, issuing financial institutions and consumers using electronic payments over cash and checks.

PARTNERSHIPS

NOVA Renews Agreement with UMB

UMB Bank, N.A., a wholly owned subsidiary of UMB Financial Corp., extended a payment processing and alliance marketing agreement with NOVA Information Systems to a 10-year term. NOVA will provide UMB's 9,000 merchants with payment processing services including credit and debit card processing, electronic check services and other value-added solutions.

Paymentech to Process for Circle K

Paymentech, L.P. announced it will provide settlement processing for 1,663 Circle K convenience stores located across the United States. Paymentech already processes for Mac's Convenience Stores-Circle K and Mac's Convenience Stores are owned by parent company Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

Providian Hires First Data

Providian Financial Corp. signed an agreement with First Data Corp.'s card processing subsidiary. First Data will print and mail cardholder statements for Providian's current portfolio and personalize plastics for its new cardholders and reissues. Production will begin in Q2 2004.

Two Sign With Secure Payment Systems

Redwood Merchant Services (a division of National Bank of the Redwoods) will provide Secure Payment Systems' (SPS) value-added products to retailers through its national and regional independent sales force. National Bank of the Redwoods is located in the North Bay Area of California with offices in Santa Rosa, Calif., Scottsdale, Ariz. and Tucker Ville, Maine, with sales agents throughout the United States.

Minneapolis-based Winmark Corp., franchisor of Play It Again Sports and Plato's Closet retail stores signed an exclusive agreement for the issuance and processing of SPS's stored value gift card program at participating stores nationwide.

SLIM CD and JR's POS Depot Bundle Up in Florida

SLIM CD, Inc. and JR'S POS Depot announced a distribution hardware/software partnership. JR's POS Depot will bundle the most common hardware accessories such as PIN pads, signature pads and receipt printers for the SLIM CD software. SLIM CD will provide its software to JR's POS Depot to complete the hardware/software bundle.

ACQUISITIONS

Lightbridge Acquiring Authorize.Net

InfoSpace, Inc. announced a definitive agreement to sell Authorize.Net, its Payment Solutions business, to Lightbridge, Inc. for $82 million in cash. Lightbridge is a provider of technology solutions that manage customer transactions. InfoSpace announced plans for the sale of Authorize.Net in October 2003 in order to focus more on its Search and Directory and Mobile businesses. Authorize.Net provides IP-based payment solutions that enable merchants to authorize, settle and manage electronic transactions. The companies expect the deal to close during Q2 2004.

First Data Sells Stake in Global Cash Access

First Data Corp. sold its 67% interest in GCA Holdings LLC, the parent holding company of Global Cash Access LLC., to GCA's founder M&C International Inc. as part of a recapitalization of GCA. GCA is a leading supplier of cash access and customer relationship marketing technologies to the gaming industry. M&C International Inc now owns about 95% of GCA's parent holding company and Bank of America Corp. owns the rest. GCA will continue to offer First Data products and services to the gaming industry, including Western Union Money Transfers and TeleCheck check guarantee services.

TransFirst to Acquire Fifth Third Processing Solutions' Third Party Sales Merchant Biz

TransFirst said it plans to acquire Fifth Third Bank Processing Solutions' third party and agent bank merchant division. The acquisition is expected to close on April 1, 2004. In addition to the acquisition agreement, TransFirst and Fifth Third Bank Processing Solutions have partnered; Fifth Third will refer various third-party merchant-processing leads (such as agent bank, ISOs and ISCs) to TransFirst.

Fifth Third Bank Processing Solutions provides credit, debit, EBT, ACH and check acceptance services. With this acquisition, TransFirst will service more than 760 agent banks and process approximately $18.5 billion in annual sales volume for more than 150,000 merchants.

APPOINTMENTS

EDC Hires Richard Crone

Richard K. Crone joined Edgar, Dunn & Company's (EDC) financial services practice as a Director. Crone has more than 24 years of experience in electronic payments. He has held senior management positions with Dove Consulting, CyberCash, Inc., Home Savings of America, KPMG Consulting (BearingPoint) and Unisys Corp.

He has consulted with leading financial services firms in their migration from paper to electronic transactions and has led emerging payment product groups in several organizations. EDC is a global strategy-consulting firm that specializes in payments and financial services.

Cruzen and Graves on Cash Systems' Board

Pat Cruzen and Gordon Graves will serve on Cash Systems, Inc.'s Board of Directors. Cruzen is the CEO of Cruzen & Associates. He has served as President and COO of Grand Casinos, Inc. He was also part of the team that created MGM Grand, where he served as Senior. Vice President of Finance and Administration and President of MGM Grand's casino marketing arm, Destron.

Gordon Graves is the President of Graves Management, Inc. He served as Chairman of the Board and CEO for Multimedia Games Inc. for nearly 10 years. He previously served as the President and CEO of Arrowsmith Technologies, Inc., and also was Vice President of Corporate Development and later President at KDT Industries, Inc.

John Filby Named President/CEO of ISD

Integrated Systems Development, Inc. (ISD), a provider of electronic payment solutions for merchants, appointed John Filby to President and CEO of the company. He was also appointed to ISD's Board of Directors. Filby has 16 years' experience in the software industry. In 1999, he founded eCash Technologies, Inc. (acquired by InfoSpace, Inc. in 2002), and he served as President and CEO and a board member of eCash. At InfoSpace, Filby served as Vice President in the Merchant Services Division. Prior to founding eCash, Filby was on the management team of InterTrans Logistics Solutions, which was later acquired by i2 Technologies.

Q Comm Appoints Full Time CEO/President

Terry D. Kramer, interim President for Q Comm International, Inc. since November 2003, accepted the position of full time CEO and President. Q Comm is a provider of prepaid transaction processing and POS distribution solutions. Kramer has more than 15 years of experience with wireless technology organizations. He has most recently been serving as an advisor/board member to several wireless telecom companies including 724 Solutions, FiberTower and Sonim Technologies. Kramer also worked with Vodafone/AirTouch and PacTel Corp from 1998 through 2000 in various executive management positions. Paul Hickey, Q Comm's founder, will step down as interim CEO but will continue working with the company as Executive Vice President of Business Development.

Visa International Appoints New CEO/President

Visa International's Board of Directors appointed Christopher J. Rodrigues to serve as President and CEO of Visa International. Rodrigues is currently the Group Chief Executive of Bradford & Bingley, a UK-based financial services organization. He succeeds Malcolm Williamson, who retired as Visa International CEO after a five-year term. William P. Boardman, Chairman of the Visa International Board of Directors served as interim CEO and President since March 1, 2004.

New Chairman of MasterCard U.S Region Board

MasterCard International's U.S. Region Board elected Richard Srednicki to serve as the new Chairman. Srednicki is an Executive Vice President of JPMorgan Chase's Cardmember Services-he joined Chase in 1999. From 1998-1999, he worked with Sears, Roebuck and Co., where he was responsible for the Home Services Division. Prior to that, he served as President and CEO of AT&T's Universal Card Services for two years.

Srednicki was a Senior Officer at Citibank from 1983-1996, where he worked 10 years in the credit card business and three years as General Manager of the consumer business in Germany. He also held marketing positions at Colgate-Palmolive from 1975-1983. Srednicki succeeds Richard D. Fairbank, Chairman and CEO of Capital One Financial Corp., who served as Chairman of the MasterCard U.S. Region Board since 2002.

Global Payments Names Merchant Acquiring EVP

Global Payments Inc. hired Carl J. Williams to serve as Exec. Vice President of World Wide Merchant Acquiring. Williams will oversee the company's merchant services business outside North America. He most recently served as President and CEO of Baikal Group, LLC. Previously, he was President of Spherion Assessment Group. He was also Chairman and CEO of HR Easy, Inc., which was acquired by Spherion Inc. in 1999. He was President of the Merchant Services Division of National Processing Company (NPC); he also served as President and CEO of JBS Associates (acquired by NPC in 1993).

BOTTOM LINES

• Big Dog Holdings, Inc. completed its acquisition of The Walking Company on March 3, 2004 for approximately $19 million.
• JoS. A. Bank Clothiers Inc. opened the first three of between 50 and 75 new stores planned for its fiscal year 2004. The stores are located in Ormond Beach, Fla., Wichita, Ks., and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
• National Real Estate Clearinghouse (NRC) will help in the sale of 15 convenience stores and gasoline stations, and three commercial sites for Hi-Noon Petroleum and MRC Hi-Noon, LLC, of Missoula, Mont, the National Association of Convenience Stores reported.
• Wal-Mart Stores opened its first Supercenter in California in La Quinta.