Middlesex Savings Bank Implements OMEGA for ATM Deposits Management; Advanced Technology Solution Automates ATM Deposits from Start to Finish.

Business Editors

CLEARWATER, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 27, 2004

Middlesex Savings Bank, the largest independent bank in Central Massachusetts and the sixth largest mutual bank in the country, is now processing ATM deposits using its Microsoft(R).NET-based solution, OMEGA by TWS (OMEGA). OMEGA automates the processing and management of an ATM deposit and features the latest imaging, balancing and fraud detection technology on the market. Middlesex Savings, with more than $3 billion in assets, began using the solution last month. The bank is the latest to join the OMEGA network, which includes several of the nation's largest financial institutions.

TWS, a Microsoft Certified Partner, developed the first feasible system to capture information directly from ATMs and quickly subject it to a fraud detection tool once the ATM accepted the image. OMEGA was designed to help TWS customers streamline and automate their ATM deposits processing from start to finish. Using digital-image processing and handwriting recognition technology to read check deposit amounts, OMEGA dramatically reduces data entry for ATM reconciliation. Other key components of OMEGA include the solution's ability to reduce fraudulent transactions by up to 70 percent; inherent disaster recovery, which stores and re-routes check images and data; and a lifecycle envelope management feature which tracks ATM deposits, giving managers the flexibility to schedule personnel based on the predicted volume of deposits.

"One of the most immediate benefits of OMEGA to the user is its ability to support both distributed and centralized processing environments," said Milton King, president of TWS. "It is built on the versatile Microsoft.NET platform, which is truly an open-system and allows communications across multiple platforms, eliminating the need to maintain multiple servers and the supporting staff required to manage those servers. This translates to significant cost savings and return on investment opportunities for the financial institution."

OMEGA communicates using extended markup language or XML, a Check 21 accepted format. With full imaging capabilities, it is designed to meet the current industry trend towards image-based ATMs. OMEGA supports all major ATM networks, branch and centralized check transports, and teller window devices such as MICR swipe readers and check-image capture devices.

OMEGA has an impressive list of users including several of the nation's largest credit unions. The multi-billion dollar institutions include federally chartered Pentagon and Orange County Teachers, and Wescom, VyStar and Eastern Financial Florida credit unions.

"We are now able to automate the process rather than manually inputting thousands of envelope deposits into the system," said Patricia Rocha, manager of document management for Orange County Teachers FCU. "The solution's browser-based design allows any employee in the credit union to access imaged-items. That is an incremental increase in efficiency for the entire credit union."

Middlesex Savings is the second bank to implement OMEGA.

About TWS Systems, Inc.

Clearwater, Fla.-based TWS Systems, Inc. is a privately held financial services company that is the first company to offer total deposit automation with image-based ATMs. TWS is the leading provider of transaction processing solutions and fraud prevention tools for the credit union industry, and is the leading provider of ATM and fraud management solutions for banks. For additional information about TWS Systems, Inc. call 800.247.1342 or visit www.twssystems.com.