Retail Decisions Signs Agreement With First of Omaha Merchant Processing; Partnership Opens Credit Card Fraud Protection Services to Over 70,000 First of Omaha Merchants

Business Wire, Oct 17, 2000

Business Editors

HAZLET, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 17, 2000

Retail Decisions (ReD), a leading card-not-present (CNP) risk management and online transaction services business for e-commerce, today announced that they have signed a partnership agreement with First of Omaha(R) Merchant Processing, a wholly owned subsidiary of First National Bank of Omaha and one of the USA's leading credit card processors. The referral marketing agreement will enable First of Omaha(R) to offer Retail Decisions' risk management and fraud detection services as an extension of their product offerings to clients.

"First of Omaha Merchant Processing provides credit card transactions and payment solutions for over 70,000 merchants nationwide," said Carl Clump, CEO of Retail Decisions. "The relationship will enable us to introduce our services to the entire First of Omaha client base and help us develop our position in the fraud protection services industry."

Faulkner & Gray's Card Industry Directory lists First of Omaha as one of the top 10 merchant acquiring banks in the world, based on their annual volume of dollars processed. According to Faulkner & Gray, First of Omaha generated $19 billion in revenue from over 260 million transactions last year.

First of Omaha and Retail Decisions are joining marketing efforts to provide customers with added-value solutions. The relationship will provide Retail Decisions with a new distribution channel for their fraud protection services and First of Omaha benefits by being able to offer their clients a leading protection service.

"Retail Decisions is a leader in credit card fraud protection services and provides our telecommunications and service providers with services that they need," said Nick Baxter, President of First of Omaha Merchant Processing. "As a leader in the merchant processing industry, we are constantly looking for new ways to assist clients in the reduction of chargebacks. Our relationship with Retail Decisions will enable us to further differentiate our merchant services from the competition and provide a more comprehensive payment solution for our clients."

About First of Omaha Merchant Processing:

First of Omaha Merchant Processing is a premier payment processor specializing in providing service to both the traditional and Internet marketing industry, as well as the traditional face to face card acceptance market. First of Omaha provides financial management and payment processing solutions for large and small retailers, restaurants, lodging merchants, petroleum marketers, associations/franchise groups and banks in both the business to consumer and business to business marketplaces. Known for their superior customer service, First of Omaha specializes in providing clients the latest in card processing technologies. Through development of a diversified product line, First of Omaha has become a leader in the merchant processing industry, assisting clients in the reduction of chargebacks and fraud. First of Omaha Merchant Processing is a wholly owned subsidiary of First National Bank of Omaha and is one of the few remaining in-house bank processors.

First National Bank of Omaha, founded in 1863, is the 32nd oldest nationally chartered bank in existence. First of Omaha's Web site address is www.foomp.com.

About Retail Decisions

Retail Decisions (ReD) has more than fourteen years' experience in card-not-present risk management and payment settlement services initially to the telecommunications industry in the United States, and now to e-commerce customers including X.com, iSolve, IPC Media, Paymentplus and DataCash.

ReD's global e-commerce fraud detection and prevention service, ebitGuard, provide real time risk assessment recommendations. ebitGuard incorporates eFalcon, a neural technology, developed by HNC the leading neural software organization, with a number of other sophisticated processes, databases and CNP experience to provide clients with a fully integrated service that delivers high quality risk management results.

ReD also collates and distributes the UK's most comprehensive 'Hot Card File' of lost and stolen cards, which is continually updated and is available to retailers 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The company currently protects nearly 10,000 retail sites in the UK, principally in high-payment volume sectors. Last year, ReD checked in excess of 1.0 billion transactions, stopping an estimated $190 million in fraudulent purchases. ReD also has offices in South Africa and Australia.

ReD is publicly traded on the official list of the London Stock Exchange under the trading symbol, "RTD". More information about ReD is available by visiting the company Web site at http://www.redplc.com.

Retail Decisions and ReD are registered trademarks of Retail Decisions, Inc. Other company and product names are the trademarks of their respective companies.