-- CheckFree Opens Access to Services for Financial Institutions to Better
Integrate and Control a Seamless and Enhanced Online Banking Experience --
ATLANTA, Nov. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CheckFree Corporation
(Nasdaq: CKFR) today introduced a new set of standard technology services
designed to give financial institutions open access to CheckFree's electronic
billing and payment infrastructure. This open access gives financial
institutions ultimate control over how they present the electronic billing and
payment experience to consumers. CheckFree Builder(TM) is the first Web
services solution that allows CheckFree's financial services partners to fully
customize their individual electronic billing and payment user interfaces to
target respective customer bases, differentiate services, manage online
branding, and "build" their online offerings.
Financial institutions that deploy CheckFree's hosted electronic billing
and payment service can use CheckFree Builder to better customize their
applications and create tighter integration with online banking. At the same
time, CheckFree Builder offers non-hosted customers the ability to customize
and evolve their online banking and electronic billing and payment service
into single integrated solutions. CheckFree Builder supports seamless, open
communication between external applications from different sources through an
interface controlled by each financial institution. The solution gives
financial institutions the option of greater control over their electronic
billing and payment interfaces, and allows organizations to leverage their
existing product and technology investments.
Financial services organizations traditionally provide consolidated log-in
for single-password access to both online banking and electronic billing and
payment services, but to date the two applications have been separate.
Financial institutions can use CheckFree Builder to integrate electronic
billing and payment functions with their online banking sites, which makes
website navigation easier for consumers. With electronic billing and payment
functionality featured more prominently in online banking, consumers can
manage the viewing and paying of bills as part of a complete online financial
management process.
"CheckFree is responding to the voice of the customer with a significant
shift in electronic billing and payment that gives our financial services
partners the option to decide how much control they want over user interface
design and integration," said Matt Lewis, executive vice president and general
manager of CheckFree's Electronic Commerce division. "CheckFree Builder
addresses multiple client needs by offering the opportunity for greater
integration among retail banking functions, electronic billing and payment and
online banking in a way that is seamless and logical for the end consumer. In
addition, financial institutions can apply existing IT and Web services
investments to electronic billing and payment integration and customization,
with greater control over development timelines and product differentiation."
With CheckFree Builder, financial institutions can leverage their own
Internet banking best practices for the design of an electronic billing and
payment user interface, while CheckFree can provide best-practice data,
professional services and consulting. Each organization will have the choice
of how it integrates different retail banking services with electronic billing
and payment and online banking using the new service. Examples of potential
key benefits for financial institutions could include:
- Bill Payment Integration: Consumers can view complete histories for all
transaction types, including bill payments, ATM deposits and
withdrawals, and credit and debit card transactions. End users can
quickly check the status of upcoming bill payments and scheduled
transactions, quickly and easily set up and manage payees/billers and
schedule one-time, recurring or multiple bill payments from within the
online banking application.
- CheckFree e-Bill(SM) Integration: Within online banking, consumers will
be able to see unopened and pending CheckFree e-Bills, view bill detail
and take action if needed. Subscribers can easily set up or administer
e-Bills from within the online banking interface.
- Reminders and Point-in-Time Balance: Subscribers can elect to receive
notifications that e-Bills have arrived and set payment reminders tied
to the due dates of the bill. The online banking site provides
point-in-time and available balance information that takes into account
all transactions including bill payments. Customers no longer need to
cross-reference separate sections to determine how much money is
available as they schedule bill payments.
- Seamless Integration with CheckFree Products: CheckFree Builder allows
financial institutions to integrate other new services that CheckFree
delivers, such as the new CheckFree Financial View suite of online
financial management tools.
About CheckFree (www.checkfreecorp.com)
Founded in 1981, CheckFree Corporation (Nasdaq: CKFR) provides financial
electronic commerce services and products to organizations around the world.
CheckFree Electronic Commerce solutions enable thousands of financial services
providers and billers to offer their customers the convenience of receiving
and paying their household bills online or in person through retail outlets.
CheckFree Investment Services provides a broad range of investment management
solutions and outsourced services to thousands of financial services
organizations, which manage more than $1.2 trillion in assets. CheckFree
Software develops, markets and supports software applications that are used by
financial institutions to process more than two thirds of the 12 billion
Automated Clearing House transactions in the United States. The division also
provides operational risk management, financial messaging, corporate actions,
and regulatory compliance software to more than 1,500 organizations across the
globe.
Certain of CheckFree's statements in this press release are not purely
historical, and as such are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These include statements
regarding management's intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations or projections
of the future. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties,
including without limitation, the various risks inherent in CheckFree's
business, and other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in
CheckFree's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including CheckFree's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended June 30, 2005 (filed September 2, 2005), and Form 10-Q for the quarter
ended September 30, 2005 (filed November 8, 2005). One or more of these
factors have affected, and could in the future affect CheckFree's business and
financial results in future periods, and could cause actual results to differ
materially from plans and projections. There can be no assurance that the
forward-looking statements made in this press release will prove to be
accurate, and issuance of such forward-looking statements should not be
regarded as a representation by CheckFree, or any other person, that the
objectives and plans of CheckFree will be achieved. All forward-looking
statements made in this press release are based on information presently
available to management, and CheckFree assumes no obligation to update any
forward-looking statements.
SOURCE CheckFree Corporation
-0- 11/14/2005
/CONTACT: Media relations, Judy DeRango Wicks, +1-678-375-1595, or
jdwicks@checkfree.com, or Investor relations, Tina Moore, +1-678-375-1278, or
tmoore@checkfree.com, both of CheckFree Corporation/
/Web site: http://www.checkfreecorp.com/
(CKFR)
CO: CheckFree Corporation
ST: Georgia
IN: FIN CPR MLM ECM
SU: PDT
DL-CF
-- CLM053 --
3878 11/14/2005 11:25 EST http://www.prnewswire.com
