NEWS

NAOPP Offering Health Insurance to Members

The National Association of Payment Professionals (NAOPP) is now offering its members a new health insurance program through the JLBG Health & Fortis Insurance. The program will provide NAOPP members with major medical insurance coverage through Fortis Health, which offers benefits through preferred provider organizations (PPO's), health savings accounts (HSA's), family PPO plans, short term health plans and health reimbursement arrangements. Some of the benefits include:

• Your choice of doctors and hospitals from extensive PPO networks
• Initial 12-month rate guarantee
• Plans with a $20, $25, $30 or $40 co-pay for doctor visits
• Prescription drug card
• Optional dental and vision discount card

JLBG & Fortis Health provides health insurance benefit programs to major trade and professional associations throughout the United States. NAOPP members can get a health benefits consultation and enroll in the program of their choice by calling 866-633-6322 or visiting the secure NAOPP online health benefits Web site at www.assurantaffinity.com/naopp for more information.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Authorize.Net Certified to CardSystems

Lightbridge Inc., parent company of Authorize.Net, announced that Authorize.Net certified its Internet Protocol (IP) Payment Gateway to the CardSystems Solutions Inc.'s processing platform. The Authorize.Net service, which supports card present and card not present transactions, is now available to CardSystems Solutions' financial institutions and ISOs.

Daniel Trust Co. Changes Name

Daniel Trust Company changed its company name to ClearCheck, Inc. ClearCheck Founder and President Eric Bergelson said, "We believe the name ClearCheck better identifies us as a check services provider." In addition to the name change, ClearCheck has a new logo; the company has also changed its Web site to www.clearcheck.com .

Givex Expands to UK

Givex Corp. said it is now offering its gift and loyalty card processing services in the United Kingdom.

GO Software Goes for Visa CISP Audit

GO Software, Inc., a subsidiary of Return On Investment Corp., is undergoing an audit using Visa's Cardholder Information Security Program (CISP) guidelines for merchants. Ambiron is the company conducting the audit.

Keycorp Certified by Canada's Largest

Keycorp Canada Inc. announced certification from three of the largest third party transaction processors in the Canadian payment terminals market: CGI and Datawest certified Keycorp's K23 payment terminals for ISOs that supply hardware and software to their merchant customers, and BCE Emergis is undergoing the certification process for the K23 products. Keycorp said the K23 has also been certified for its debit/credit surcharging application with cash-back functionality under the new Interac Third Party Certification regulations that govern Canada's electronic payments industry.

ETA Now Accepting Committee Applications

Electronic Transactions Association (ETA) is now accepting applications from members who would like to serve on a committee for the 2004-2005 year. The committees include: Award and Recognition; Best Practices; Editorial Advisory; Emerging Markets; Exhibitor Advisory; Government Relations; Industry Relations; ISO Advisory; Membership; Program Planning; Technology and Risk and Fraud Management Ad Hoc.

Appointments are effective July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2005. Visit ETA's Web site, www.electran.org, for more information on each committee and a downloadable application. Applications must be accompanied by a resume or professional vitae and are due by fax or mail on May 29, 2004. For more information, contact Diana Blessinger by phone at 800-695-5509 or e-mail at diana.blessinger@electran.org .

Paymentech Certifies TPI Software

TPI Software LLC announced it is certified with Paymentech in its latest version 2.0 of the TPI Payment Server Platform.

SLIM CD Slashing Prices

SLIM CD, Inc. has cut its per transaction fees to provide resellers an opportunity for a higher revenue stream. The per-transaction cost will be reduced in half, to $0.05 per transaction to allow greater pricing flexibility to ISOs, community banks and their merchants.

Targan Awarded ETA Committee Volunteer of the Year

Holli Hart Targan, a partner with Detroit-based Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss, was awarded ETA's "Committee Volunteer of the Year Award" at the ETA Annual Meeting and Expo in Las Vegas, held April 19 - 22, 2004. Targan received the award in recognition of her outstanding efforts as Chair of ETA's Bylaws and Nominating Procedures Review Committee. Targan's law practice focuses on payment systems and electronic banking law.

Welcome Offers EMV White Paper

Welcome Real-time has a new white paper titled, "Profiting from Enhanced EMV." The white paper explores how an EMV infrastructure can not only reduce fraud, but can also increase revenues and market share. The company said it based the ideas in the white paper on its experience with banks migrating to EMV.

PARTNERSHIPS

Diners Club Seeking MasterCard as Partner

In order to grow and strengthen its brand, Diners Club is looking to join forces with MasterCard International to expand global acceptance of Diners Club cards for both Diners Club North America and International cardholders. The alliance would allow Diners Club cards issued in the United States and Canada to be reissued with the MasterCard brand on the front of the card, which would then function as a MasterCard. These cards would be accepted at the more than 22 million merchant locations worldwide where MasterCard credit cards are accepted.

Diners Club cards issued by Diners Club International franchises would display the MasterCard logo on the back of the card, allowing these cards to be accepted at merchants in the United States and Canada and processed as MasterCard transactions.

Ingenico Announces Two Partners

Ingenico has integrated Prepaid Solutions', a division of Advanced Data Services, Inc. (ADSI), Prepaid Solutions.Net prepaid services on its Ingenico Elite 710 multi-application POS terminal. Ingenico is offering this solution as part of its Value-added Services Program. Ingenico will also integrate Certegy's check services on its multi-application ready suite of dial terminals. Certegy's check services' offerings include check warranty, check verification and electronic check conversion.

Lynk Extends Squirrel Alliance

Lynk Systems, Inc., expanded its strategic partnership with Squirrel Systems, a provider of restaurant management systems for independent and chain restaurants, to include:

• Certification of high-speed Internet processing (DSL and cable modem) on the latest version of Squirrel POS software
• Certification of GiftLynk, Lynk's gift card program, on most versions of Squirrel
• The exchange of restaurant merchant leads between the two companies

As part of a separate partnership, Lynk will provide ATM terminal driving and management to Western Reserve Group (WRG). Lynk currently "drives" more than 800 ATMs for WRG.

Paymentech Wins Shell Oil

Paymentech, LP will process gift cards for Shell Oil Products US at nearly 13,000 Shell locations across the United States, and at various other retailers offering the Shell Gift Card.

Precidia and EchoSat Install IP Solution at AmeriStop

Precidia Technologies Inc., and private satellite provider EchoSat, successfully implemented an IP-based transaction processing solution for AmeriStop Food Mart, a leading chain of expanded convenience stores.

State of Maine Selects GovConnect

The State of Maine Bureau of Health selected GovConnect, a provider of digital service delivery consulting and payment processing solutions to governments, to provide contract monitoring and quality assurance consulting services related to the implementation of the Maine Integrated Public Health Information System (IPHIS). GovConnect is the operating company of eONE Global.

Visa Cardholders Can Put Pets on Cards

Visa International is offering a new service to its member banks that enables cardholders to design their own cards. Visa partnered with Serverside Graphics Ltd. to provide this technology to member banks.

Once it's adopted, Visa cardholders can use family or pet photos or other images such as children's art work to create their own customized Visa credit, debit, pre-paid or gift cards. Cardholders will access the program online through their participating banks' Web sites.

ACQUISITIONS

Metavante Acquires Check Imaging Co.

Marshall & Ilsley Corp. subsidiary Metavante Corp. signed a definitive agreement to acquire Advanced Financial Solutions Inc. (AFS), a check-imaging technology provider. AFS serves more than 7,000 financial institutions in the United States and 25 other countries.

Its affiliate, Endpoint Exchange, is the only operational electronic check image clearinghouse in the world today. Metavante's acquisition also includes AFS affiliates CheckClear LLC, which owns and operates Endpoint Exchange, and The Medical Banking Exchange, a healthcare payment-processing platform.

APPOINTMENTS

Tom Della Badia Joins IRN

IRN Payment Systems appointed Tom Della Badia to serve as Vice President, Director of Sales. Della Badia has more than 15 years' experience. Prior to joining IRN, Della Badia served as Vice President of Indirect Sales for Lynk Systems, Inc.

Prior to Lynk, he served as Vice President for NOVA Information Systems, Inc. His responsibilities at both companies included recruiting, hiring and training MSPs and ISOs.

TrustCommerce Hires SVP Biz Development

TrustCommerce hired Greg Castro to serve as Senior Vice President, Business Development Officer. He will also be a member of TrustCommerce's executive team and advisory board. Castro previously served as Director, Executive Account Manager of Vital Processing Services; prior to joining Vital he served as the Western Region Sales Manager for Mulhern Bankcard.

COO Appointed at Pipeline

Pipeline Data Inc. hired Kevin Smith to serve as Chief Operating Officer. Smith previously served as a Senior Vice President at Concord EFS, Inc. Smith will also launch Pipeline Data Processing, the company's new ISO division and will serve as its President.

AdvanceMe, Inc. Recruits SVP Sales

Bankcard services industry veteran, Joe Valeo, joined AdvanceMe, Inc. as a Senior Vice President of Sales. Valeo has held numerous sales, account and sales management positions in leading industry organizations. Prior to joining AdvanceMe, Inc., he served as Vice President of Indirect and ISO sales with First Data Merchant Services.

Valeo also worked for Visa U.S.A. as a Senior Account Executive and as Vice President of Sales for Citicorp Establishment Service.

BOTTOM LINES

• Loehmann's Holdings Inc., a discount clothing retailer, will be acquired by a private investment firm for $177 million, allowing it to operate with more flexibility.
• New York private-equity investment firm, Castle Harlan, Inc., plans to acquire Caribbean Restaurants LLC (CRI), operator of 165 Burger King restaurants in Puerto Rico.
• 2003 convenience store sales jumped 16% over the previous year's, to a record $337 billion; this information was reported at the NACS State of the Industry Summit in partnership with CSP Information Group Inc.
• Consumers cut back on their spending in April 2004, largely because of higher gasoline and food prices, and retailers, such as Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., reported only modest or flat sales results, the Associated Press reported.