BAI's Check 21 Readiness Forum Providing Essential Resource for Bankers.

Business Editors

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 16, 2004

With banks and other financial services companies preparing for a Check 21 implementation deadline in October, BAI has launched a comprehensive interactive forum for bank managers responsible for Check 21 readiness at their organizations.

BAI's Check 21 Readiness Forum combines online access to current and archived information, networking and live and on-demand Webinars with periodic face-to-face meetings, complimentary registrations to Check 21-related BAI events and discounts on training products. BAI's Check 21 Readiness Forum--Just For Project Leaders Only is a limited-scale version of the forum, featuring online content and a series of project management Webinars leading up to implementation. BAI's Check 21 Resource Center at www.bai.org has already become the leading Check 21 online portal, and the Forum is positioned to achieve a similar status with industry leaders and practitioners.

Tom Johnson, BAI's President and CEO, said that the Check 21 Readiness Forum is a response to an urgent need for information and education on the implications of the regulation, which has a readiness deadline of October 28, 2004.

"A recent BAI survey clearly indicated that there are strong information needs and still many unanswered questions on Check 21 readiness in the industry," Johnson said. "We are continually updating the content delivered as part of BAI's Check 21 Readiness Forum to answer those questions from managers on how to prepare for Check 21 implementation, and we will be conducting another survey next month to gauge how readiness has progressed."

Johnson cited two other elements of BAI's Check 21 Readiness Forum - a new presentation on BAI's Web site called "Check 21 Readiness: 5 Common Delusions," and the last in a series of free Check 21 Readiness Forum Webinars that will be presented on Thursday, April 22 at 10:00 a.m.

The initial in-person meeting for subscribers to the BAI Check 21 Readiness Forum will be held in conjunction with BAI's TransPay(TM) Conference and Expo 2004 in Las Vegas, on Tuesday, May 18, following several subscription-only Web meetings.

"Those Check 21 managers who have become part of the Forum will have the opportunity to meet with others who have Check 21 responsibilities to discuss their most pressing issues on readiness," Johnson continued. "They have already been exchanging information through online networking, so the first meeting in May will be valuable and productive."

The Check 21 Readiness Forum meeting will be just the beginning of Check 21 activities and content at BAI's TransPay Conference, which has been completely revamped this year to focus on Check 21 issues, and the event has also been broadened to include coverage of other payments topics in response to feedback from past attendees and exhibitors.

Check 21 managers interested in joining BAI's Check 21 Readiness Forum can visit www.bai.org, or they can contact BAI Customer Service at [phone] or by e-mail at [e-mail].

BAI is the financial services industry's leading professional organization that delivers information and education to enhance the organizational performance of financial services companies and the individual performance of their employees. BAI offers conferences, seminars and graduate schools, as well as a full range of employee development tools including assessments, and eLearning, in-house and text book training. BAI also provides valuable insights through BAI KnowledgeBank, BAI Research and Banking Strategies magazine. Visit www.bai.org for more information.