Clarke American Expands ServiceLine Plus Hours.

Business Editors

SAN ANTONIO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 30, 2000

First 24-Hour Check Reorder and Inquiry Service Introduced

Clarke American, the fastest growing provider of checks and related products and services, announced that its ServiceLine Plus(SM) program is now accepting customer calls 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week. ServiceLine Plus is an inbound customer call program that provides Clarke American product and service support for check reorder and inquiries for the company's financial institution partners. Clarke American is the first in the industry to offer this round-the-clock service.

"We're raising the bar in the industry," Jim Jory, senior product manager for Clarke American said. "No other vendor in the industry takes reorder and inquiry calls 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week. It is just another example of the innovative, quality-driven solutions that we provide for our partners."

Knowledgeable customer service consultants are available to take check reorders, answering all calls within an average of 10-20 seconds. According to Clarke American officials, each of these experts undergoes 120 hours of extensive training before taking a single call. "Clarke American uses the latest technology to ensure the quickest response to a call, the customer's utmost privacy and the highest degree of accuracy for each order," Jory continued. "It's fast, simple and convenient."

"So many people are accustomed to using their telephones to conduct personal business, it just makes good sense to offer such a convenient service," Brad Wheeless, vice president and general manager Clarke American Credit Union Division, added. "Members will welcome the chance to take care of their check reorders via telephone, any time it's convenient for them. Check reordering has never been easier."

About Clarke American

Clarke American Checks, Inc., headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is the fastest growing specialty printer of financial institution checks in the United States. Since 1975, Clarke American has been helping credit unions increase member satisfaction, reduce operating costs and gain primary financial institution status. Producing more than 9.6 billion checks per year, Clarke American has an unmatched 99.92 percent printing accuracy rate in the industry.

Clarke American's other unique service includes InTouch(R) Messaging. InTouch digital printing technology can be used to send a general introduction message about new products and services, announce branch openings or make a targeted offer to a specific member.

For additional information about Clarke American's Credit Union products and services, contact Julie Faulkner, director of marketing at [phone], write 10931 Laureate Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78249 or email [e-mail]. Visit its Internet site at http://creditunion.clarkeamerican.com or www.clarkeamerican.com.