ACOM's MICRPro In-House Check Printing Solution Now Available to Banks, Credit Unions in Rental Program.

Business Editors

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 28, 2002

Community banks and credit unions wishing to recapture non-interest revenues currently diverted to third-party checkbook vendors can now obtain ACOM's advanced MICRPro(R) Version 1.1.1. in-house check printing solution through a rental program rather than through a large up-front capital investment, it was announced today by Mark Firmin, vice president of the ACOM Solutions Financial Documents Division.

Under a new program just inaugurated by the division, a bank or credit union simply rents the system quarterly, either indefinitely or until it chooses to purchase or return the system, Firmin said.

"The revenues newly available to an institution can be significant," Firmin said, "and the customer service and competitive benefits are equally important. Checkbook orders and reorders can be delivered in a day, rather than the two weeks normally required when outsourcing to third-party vendors. Moreover, experience has shown that institutions that offer the service to customers and members of competing institutions frequently end up gaining new accounts as a result."

According to Firmin, institutions that exploit their ability to produce checks in-house find their operations impacted positively in multiple areas, among them:

-- They increase non-interest revenue profitability without increasing charges to customers, simply by improving their margins on each check order.

-- They increase the volume of their most profitable business -- business accounts -- through faster service and reduced costs, while also increasing their margins on business check sales.

-- They increase customer/member floor traffic, creating relationship-building scenarios and opportunities to cross-sell and up-sell to additional services offered by the institution.

A typical institution with as few as 4,000 accounts can generate net profits exceeding $3,000 a month by printing 80 percent of its monthly personal checkbook orders in-house -- after the cost of renting the system, Firmin said. Institutions can further enhance non-interest revenues and profits by generating other frequently needed documents, such as business checks, loan coupons and club and teller checks, on their MICRPro platform rather than using preprinted stationery and check stock.

The MICRPro in-house check and document printing solution -- the most advanced available -- is comprised of software, a powerful PC with 17-inch monitor, a high-speed MICR laser printer, trimming and binding equipment, MICR toner and security check stock in a variety of styles. Purchase price of the system ranges from $25,000 to $35,000. Rental customers that opt to purchase their systems are credited with a portion of their monthly rental charges.

"Typically, the banks and credit unions that comprise our market are cautious about capital outlays, and with this new program they can acquire the MICRPro system as an expense, versus as a capital expenditure," Firmin said. "We're finding strong interest in the program because it's an affordable way for institutions to provide a highly visible customer benefit, streamline processes and differentiate from their competitors, all while positively impacting the bottom line."

About ACOM Solutions

ACOM Solutions Financial Document Division is the premier developer and marketer of check and financial document production solutions that enable financial institutions to streamline their front office and back office check and financial document production activities, and to create and fulfill customer check orders and reorders in-house, versus outsourcing to commercial check vendors. ACOM Solutions, Inc. is a multidivisional, international developer and marketer of conventional and e-business solutions that integrate with enterprise applications to enhance back office and B2B processes for electronic, Internet and paper-based commerce. Contact Maribell Buchanan at ACOM Solutions, 3305 Breckinridge Blvd., Ste. 130, Duluth, GA 30096; tel [phone] or 770 279 8955, email [e-mail], or visit www.inhousechecks.com.