David Potterton of Meridien Research Delivers Opening Address at BITS/FSTC Biometric Technology Session.

Business/Technology Editors

NEWTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 14, 2001

David Potterton, Research Director at Meridien Research, a leading financial industry technology analyst firm, is delivering the opening address at a joint BITS and Financial Services Technology Consortium (FSTC) Biometric Technology Session today. David is co-author of the recently-released Meridien report "Biometrics in Financial Services: Thumbs Up."

"Financial services are beginning to lead the way in the use of biometric technologies to ensure that their customer inquiries and transactions are safe and secure," said Mr. Potterton. "We believe that biometrics will become increasingly adopted by financial institutions throughout the world over the next few years. Initially, institutions will be utilizing biometrics to safeguard internal operations, followed closely by integrating these technologies into their interactions with customers."

The session has been convened by BITS and FSTC and sponsored by biometric technology vendors. The focus is on the emerging biometric technology, its current role within the financial services industry, the segments actively adopting biometrics, and the considerations driving the move towards this technology. In addition to Mr. Potterton, other presenters are discussing testing, evaluation, and deployment of biometric solutions, as well as the ongoing BITS and FSTC work in biometric security, standards, and interoperability.

BITS, the Technology Group for The Financial Services Roundtable, was created in 1996 to foster the growth and development of electronic commerce in an open environment for the benefit of financial institutions and their customers. BITS promotes safety and soundness in financial services and e-commerce. BITS members are the Chairmen, CEOs, CIOs/CTOs of the 100 largest financial institutions in the U.S. For more information, visit the BITS Web site at www.bitsinfo.org.

The Financial Services Technology Consortium (FSTC) is a not-for-profit organization whose goal is to enhance the competitiveness of the United States financial services industry. Members of the consortium include banks, financial services providers, research laboratories, universities, technology companies, and government agencies. FSTC sponsors project-oriented collaborative research and development on interbank technical projects affecting the entire financial services industry. For more information, contact FSTC Headquarters at 312-527-6724.

About Meridien Research

Meridien Research of Newton, MA, provides insight, advice and focus to users and providers of financial industry technology. Using a combination of interactive services and in-depth, written reports, the firm helps its customers achieve a clear competitive advantage in the marketplace. Meridien Research targets three technology areas of strategic importance to financial services firms: eFinancial Services, Trading & Risk Management and Customer Relationship Management. Each practice provides constant monitoring of industry happenings along with reports detailing future predicted issues and challenges. Visit www.meridien-research.com/press to register for announcements as new research becomes available. For media relations, contact Parallax LLC at 1.781.235.7025 or [e-mail].