Quick Serve Just Got Quicker: National Processing Co. Selects Hypercom's High Speed Card Payment Terminal Technology.

Business Editors

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 24, 2002

National Processing Co. (NPC(R)), a leading provider of merchant credit card processing and a wholly owned subsidiary of National Processing Inc. (NYSE: NAP), has signed a multi-year agreement with Hypercom Corp. (NYSE: HYC), a leading global provider of electronic payment solutions, to provide Hypercom's fast, secure and easy-to-use ICE(TM) 5500Plus and T7Plus card payment terminals and HFT quick service payment technology to its merchant customers. Hypercom's technology was selected because its card payment terminals and associated systems are among the industry's fastest and most dependable.

"NPC actively targets industry segments that offer higher growth potential -- such as Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) and mid-market petroleum," said Mark D. Pyke, chief operating officer for NPC. "Within these segments, transaction time at the Point-of-Sale (POS) is crucial; merchants want to reduce lines and speed checkout. NPC currently processes for over half of the top 10 restaurant chains and petroleum brands in the United States, and looks forward to utilizing the Hypercom solution to gain even more ground."

"NPC shares the same philosophy as Hypercom: deliver complete solutions that help the customer to do more, with greater speed, ease of use and a high degree of security," said O.B. Rawls IV, president, Hypercom North America. "Hypercom continues to lead the industry with card payment technology and NPC wants and expects the best for their customers."

Smart, Fast and Easy-To-Use Terminals = Increased Revenues for Merchants

Small business owners worldwide recognize Hypercom's terminals as the industry leading products that they are. The feature-rich T7Plus sets a new performance benchmark for mid-range point-of-sale terminals. The ICE 5500Plus is a high performance, touch screen-based, Web-enabled card payment terminal that incorporates physical security features and Hypercom's HyperSafe(TM) operating system. In addition to the embedded applications, Hypercom's epic(TM) (ePOS-infocommerce(R)) ICE terminals support a range of value-added applications and services including electronic signature and receipt capture, e-mail, on-screen advertising, interactive electronic coupons, and cash management reporting through its browser -- as well as secure credit, debit, EBT and smart card functions. Both terminals incorporate Hypercom's new SureLoad(TM) printer for near jam-free printing at twice the speed of traditional POS terminals.

Quick Service Payment Technology = Faster Transactions

Hypercom's HFT 500 family of outdoor card payment terminals deliver highly secure, fast and easy-to-use payment technology for merchants who want to speed transactions, increase customer satisfaction and generate repeat business. The compact, high security Hypercom(R) terminals are embedded directly in a restaurant's drive-through menu board or as a stand-alone device. The payment devices feature a durable all-climate keyboard, an easy-to-read backlit display and integrated PIN Pad.

Hypercom's quick service terminals connect directly to the in-store cash register system or Hypercom ICE terminals. The payment transaction details are handled by the in-store system or they can be transmitted directly from the terminal to the processor for virtually instantaneous authorization. Best of all, Hypercom's quick service terminals can be immediately activated at any retail location. They can support any communications option by using Hypercom FastPOS(R), FastCOM or IEN technologies, and they offer an easy and fast migration path for future system upgrades.

About National Processing Inc.

National Processing Inc. through its wholly owned operating subsidiary, National Processing Co. (NPC(R)) is a leading provider of merchant credit card processing. National Processing is 85 percent owned by National City Corp. (NYSE:NCC) (www.nationalcity.com), a Cleveland-based $99 billion financial holding company. NPC supports over 645,000 merchant locations, representing nearly one out of every five MasterCard(R) and Visa(R) transactions processed nationally. NPC's card processing solutions offer superior levels of service and performance and assist merchants in lowering their total cost of card acceptance through our world-class people, technology and service. Additional information regarding National Processing can be obtained at www.npc.net.

About Hypercom (www.hypercom.com)

Hypercom Corp. is a leading global provider of electronic payment solutions that add value at the point of sale for consumers, merchants and acquirers, and yield increased profitability for its customers. Hypercom's products include secure Web-enabled information and transaction platforms that work seamlessly with its networking equipment and software applications for e-commerce, m-commerce, smart cards and traditional payment applications. The company's widely accepted ePOS-infocommerce (epic) framework of consumer-activated, EMV-certified, touch-screen ICE (Interactive Consumer Environment) information and transaction platforms enable acquirers and merchants to decrease costs, increase revenues and improve customer retention.

Headquartered in Phoenix, Hypercom maintains an installed base of more than 5 million terminals in over 100 countries, which conduct over 10 billion transactions annually.

Hypercom, ePOS-infocommerce, Hypercom FastPOS and HyperWare are registered trademarks of Hypercom Corp. ICE, SureLoad, HyperSafe and epic are trademarks of Hypercom Corp. All other products or services mentioned in this document are trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks or registered service marks of their respective owners.

Certain matters discussed within this press release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Although Hypercom management believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be attained. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include industry, competitive and technological changes; risks associated with international operations and foreign currency fluctuations; the composition, timing and size of orders from and shipments to major customers; inventory obsolescence; market acceptance of new products and other risks detailed from time to time in Hypercom's SEC reports, including the company's most recent 10K and subsequent 10Qs.