Thursday, September 15, 2011

Visa Celebrates Fans Who Make Football Better Together with Trip for One Winner and 10 Friends to Super Bowl XLVI


Integrated Marketing Campaign Features National Promotion, New Team Relationships and the Seventh Season of Financial Football
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Visa Inc. (NYSE: V), a proud sponsor of the NFL since 1995, announced today a new national promotion offering Visa cardholders the unique opportunity to win a trip for themselves and 10 friends to Super Bowl XLVI to witness first-hand all the sights, sounds and excitement of the biggest event in football. The Visa You & 10 Super Bowl Sweepstakes represents a key component of Visa’s integrated marketing campaign for the 2011 NFL season that will also include national advertising, social media executions, client and merchant activation programs, new NFL team relationships, and the seventh season of Financial Football, an educational program to promote financial literacy in high schools nationwide.
“This campaign and promotion aim to celebrate the social aspect of being an NFL fan and reward our cardholders who enjoy their NFL experience even more when they are surrounded by friends and family.”
Through Dec. 27, 2011, Visa cardholders in the United States will automatically be entered for a chance to win a trip for themselves and 10 friends to Super Bowl XLVI when they use their Visa card. The winner and all 10 of his or her guests will receive: tickets to the NFL Experience and Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, Ind., roundtrip airfare and ground transportation, hotel accommodations, admission to a NFL-sponsored party, a meal with an NFL player, and a Visa gift card. Visitwww.visa.com/nfl for additional promotion details. No purchase or obligation is necessary to enter or win. The winner will be announced in early January.
“Fans experience the NFL in a variety of different ways throughout the season but one constant we've observed is that they enjoy it most when sharing it with other fans, whether that's through fantasy leagues, pre-game rituals, watching games or discussing the game as the season unfolds, face-to-face or on social networks,” said Alex Craddock, Head of North America Marketing, Visa Inc. “This campaign and promotion aim to celebrate the social aspect of being an NFL fan and reward our cardholders who enjoy their NFL experience even more when they are surrounded by friends and family.”
Advertising
In October, Visa will introduce its advertising campaign featuring national television commercials and social media extensions, celebrating the inherently social nature of enjoying NFL gameday with friends and reinforcing the ways that Visa enhances their experience.
For the eighth consecutive season, Visa also will present the Visa Halftime Report on FOX NFL broadcasts to further reinforce the company’s 16-year relationship with the league before millions of television viewers. Extending its relationship with Yahoo! for a third NFL season, Visa will also be a sponsor of Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football presenting the Yahoo! Sports StatTracker®, as well as mobile and iPad applications.
Client & Merchant Activation
Visa’s league and team sponsorships provide a wide range of opportunities for financial institution clients & merchant partners to connect with Visa cardholders – including access to the Super Bowl, the Pro Bowl, the NFL Playoffs and the NFL Draft – and drive value for their businesses and shareholders.
This year’s NFL campaign will include participation by more than 600 financial institutions that issue Visa cards. Visa’s marketing support for financial institution clients includes participation in the national promotion, access to Visa Signature’s unique NFL experiences, and other customized promotional opportunities such as on-field access during the Super Bowl warm-up.
Team Marketing Programs
New for this season, Visa has become the exclusive payment services sponsor of the Houston Texans and San Diego Chargers, adding to its roster that already includes the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, and San Francisco 49ers.
As the proud sponsor of 15 NFL teams, Visa is the preferred card for ticket sales, concessions and merchandise and will have point-of-sale branding online and at all team payment terminals within the stadiums, including concession areas and team shops.
Financial Football
For the seventh consecutive year, Visa has teamed up with the NFL and NFL PLAYERS to help high school and college students take control of their financial future. Financial Football is a free money management video game and the centerpiece of a nationwide initiative to promote financial literacy. Visa has partnered with 29 state governments to distribute the Financial Football game to more than 12,000 high schools. Financial Football has been rolled out statewide to every public high school in: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Since the inception of the program, Visa has presented Financial Football to more than 6,000 students in live classroom settings and distributed more than 30,000 interactive CDs to teachers, parents and young adults. The online version of the game, available atwww.practicalmoneyskills.com/football, has been played more than 450,000 times.
Visa will kick off the 2011 NFL season on Sept. 13 in Atlanta, Ga. with a lively game of Financial Football with local students.

use your Visa card and you could win a trip for you and 10 friends to Super Bowl XLVI

because we know that football is better together.

Without the fans, there would be no football. And with no football, well, that just wouldn't be right, now, would it? So we're celebrating the greatest fans in the world by giving away a trip to Super Bowl XLVI for one winner and 10 friends. And guess what? When you use your Visa card, you're entered for a chance to win.
an epic Super Bowl experience
When you use your Visa card you're entered for a chance to win. It's that simple.
NO PURCHASE OR OBLIGATION NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN the Visa 2011 NFL Super Bowl Sweepstakes. Open to legal US residents, 18 years or older as of 9/8/11. PIN-based and ATM transactions are not eligible. Void in Puerto Rico and where prohibited. Sweepstakes ends 12/27/2011. For complete details on non-purchase entries, see Official Rules.
© 2011 NFL Properties LLC. Team names/logos/indicia are trademarks of the teams indicated. All other NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of the National Football League.

Visa and the NFL - a perfect team

Each NFL season, fans across the country gather to root for their favorite team. You gasp at every fumble. You cheer every time your team scores. You yell at every play that doesn't go your way. Whether you're watching at home, at your team stadium, or in rival territory, Visa is there with you every yard of the way. Visa is a proud sponsor of the NFL, Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, NFL Draft, NFL Kickoff, as well as the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers.

Financial Football

Visa USA, the NFL, and its players have partnered up to engage high school students in a different kind of football game—one that prepares them to become fiscally fit adults. "Financial Football" is an engaging, educational video game that teaches students about personal finance using curriculum from Practical Money Skills for Life, Visa's free, award-winning money management program.
"Financial Football" is fast-paced and fun, but instead of using a game controller to gain yardage and score, players must answer personal finance questions correctly to advance down the field. "Financial Football" is available for free and can be downloaded for playing on computers and cell phones.
Go to Financial Football Training Camp. Play now.

American Express Seeks Acquisitions to Expand Mobile Payments


American Express Co. (AXP) is looking at large international acquisitions that will help it benefit from booming demand for mobile payments and online commerce in emerging markets, said Executive Vice President David Messenger.
Photo: NFC Rumors
The New York-based company, the biggest credit-card issuer by purchases, is considering deals in developing regions such as China, and investments in or purchases of smaller Silicon Valley startups with valuable technology, Messenger said in an interview this week. Last year, American Express agreed to acquire Loyalty Partner, a marketing firm with customers mainly in Germany, Poland and India, for $660 million.

NFC-Enabled BlackBerry Smartphones Will ‘Open Doors’ with HID Global’s iCLASS® Digital Keys and Readers


New NFC-Enabled BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Curve Will Be First Smartphones with iCLASS Functionality for Digital Keys and Identification for Secure Access to Buildings, Offices and Networks
ASIS International 2011
Photo: NFC Rumors
IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HID Global, trusted leader in solutions for the delivery of secure identity, today announced an industry first with plans to support the company’s iCLASS® digital keys and mobile secure identity on NFC-enabled BlackBerry® smartphones. The new BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900/9930 and BlackBerry® Curve™ 9350/9360 smartphones activated with iCLASS digital credentials will be compatible with the large installed base of iCLASS readers that are used for applications ranging from physical access systems in buildings, to student IDs, to applications that track time and attendance.
“NFC technology will enable many new and exciting capabilities for BlackBerry smartphones and we are very pleased to be working with HID Global to be the first to bring a host of secure identity and mobile access control capabilities to NFC-enabled smartphones”
HID Global will be previewing iCLASS digital keys and mobile identity credentials using the Near Field Communications (NFC) capabilities of the BlackBerry Bold 9900 smartphone at the ASIS International 2011 security conference, September 19-22, in booth #2400 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. In addition, representatives from HID Global and BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion (RIM) will be speaking about this new platform at ASIS. Register here to attend.
“This industry first is an important milestone in the deployment of mobile access and identity solutions using NFC technology on smartphones,” said Dr. Tam Hulusi, senior vice president of strategic innovation with HID Global. “We will continue to innovate in the delivery of secure identity, as NFC-enabled smartphones represent a complementary new platform that we believe will expand the access control market and our online card services business while improving user security and convenience.”
Instead of using keys or smartcards, BlackBerry smartphone users will be able to use iCLASS digital credentials that can be presented for authentication by simply holding their NFC-enabled BlackBerry smartphone in front of a reader, just like they do today with a physical iCLASS smartcard.
“NFC technology will enable many new and exciting capabilities for BlackBerry smartphones and we are very pleased to be working with HID Global to be the first to bring a host of secure identity and mobile access control capabilities to NFC-enabled smartphones,” said Andrew Bocking, vice president, Handheld Software Product Management at RIM.
Pilots using BlackBerry smartphones activated with iCLASS digital credentials will be conducted this year. HID Global expects that its embedded iCLASS technology will be generally available for the BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 and BlackBerry Curve 9350/9360 smartphones in early 2012.
About iCLASS Technology
Introduced in 2002, HID Global’s iCLASS smartcard technology for access control applications brings the convenience, affordability and reliability of earlier proximity technology to a more powerful and versatile platform that delivers enhanced security through data encryption and mutual authentication. Optimized to make physical access control more powerful, iCLASS 13.56 MHz read/write contactless smart card technology provides versatile interoperability and supports multiple applications such as biometric authentication, cashless vending and PC log on security. The iCLASS platform, along with HID Global’s multi-technology multiCLASS solution, has become the standard for efficient, secure and effective access control, and the company’s recently announced iCLASS SE platform is now taking the industry to a new level of security, portability and performance.
About HID Global
HID Global is the trusted source for secure identity solutions for millions of customers around the world. Recognized for robust quality, innovative designs and industry leadership, HID Global is the supplier of choice for OEMs, system integrators, and application developers serving a variety of markets. These markets include physical and logical access control, including strong authentication and credential management; card printing and personalization; highly secure government ID; and identification technologies used in animal ID and industry and logistics applications. The company's primary brands include HID®, ActivIdentity®, FARGO®, and LaserCard®. Headquartered in Irvine, California, HID Global has over 2,100 employees worldwide and operates international offices that support more than 100 countries. HID Global is an ASSA ABLOY Group brand. For more information, visit www.hidglobal.com.


Discover Financial Services Declares Quarterly Dividend


RIVERWOODS, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Board of Directors of Discover Financial Services declared a quarterly dividend of $0.06 per share of common stock, payable on Oct. 20, 2011, to stockholders of record on Oct. 6, 2011.
About Discover
Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is a direct banking and payment services company with one of the most recognized brands in U.S. financial services. Since its inception in 1986, the company has become one of the largest card issuers in the United States. The company operates the Discover card, America's cash rewards pioneer, and offers personal and student loans, online savings accounts, certificates of deposit and money market accounts through its Discover Bank subsidiary. Its payment businesses consist of Discover Network, with millions of merchant and cash access locations; PULSE, one of the nation's leading ATM/debit networks; and Diners Club International, a global payments network with acceptance in more than 185 countries and territories. For more information, visitwww.discoverfinancial.com.

MediSwipe Inc. and Subsidiary 800 Commerce Announce Proposed Plans for Spin-Off and Dividend to Shareholders

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 15, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MediSwipe Inc. (http://www.MediSwipe.com) (OTCBB:MWIP), a merchant payment solutions and financial products company for the medical health care industry and its wholly owned subsidiary 800 Commerce Inc. (www.800Commerce.com), a leading enabler and turnkey e-commerce solution provider including mobile payment solutions, today announced that the company expects to file its S-1 registration statement for the proposed spin-off of its subsidiary 800 Commerce by September 30, 2011. Each shareholder of MediSwipe will receive a pro rata share or dividend of 800 Commerce Inc. upon the effective S-1 filing and dividend date to be set by FINRA within the near future.

"With the goal in mind of continually increasing shareholder value, we believe the 800 Commerce brand and business model is a company that can stand alone, and can become a recognized brand for small business and e-commerce solutions providing merchant processing, social media applications and mobile payment solutions. 800 Commerce will provide only those shareholders of MediSwipe of record date, to take part in the continued growth and success of MediSwipe as we move forward on the health care financial solutions side, and at the same time, receive a dividend and pro rata share in 800 Commerce as a second trading opportunity within the e-commerce and social media space," stated B. Michael Friedman, CEO of MediSwipe Inc.

About MediSwipe Inc.

MediSwipe Inc. (www.MediSwipe.com) offers a full spectrum of secure and reliable transaction processing and security solutions for the medical and healthcare industries, using traditional, Internet Point-of-Sale (POS), e-commerce and mobile (wireless) payment solutions. The Company now also offers digitized personal health records in conjunction with Industry Alliance Partners. MediSwipe offers reliable merchant payment solutions and closed loop pre-paid stored value and loyalty cards as a unique cash alternative to these regulated and e-commerce businesses specializing within the healthcare sector.

ACI Money Transfer System and ACI Open Account Manager Receive SWIFTReady Accreditation


Logo
Source: ACI Worldwide, Inc.
Date: September 15, 2011 08:00 ET
NEW YORK, Sept. 15, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ACI Worldwide (Nasdaq:ACIW), a leading international provider of payment systems, today announced that ACI Money Transfer System™ has achieved the SWIFTReady accreditation for payments for the fourteenth consecutive year, and ACI Open Account Manager™ has once again achieved the SWIFTReady Trade Services Utility (TSU) accreditation, demonstrating the company's commitments to SWIFT's standards, products and services.

The receipt of the SWIFTReady accreditation for payments recognizes that Money Transfer System satisfies SWIFT's highest requirements for the initiation, generation, processing and settlement of payments. The SWIFTReady TSU label, as received by Open Account Manager, is granted to trade applications that can send and receive TSU messages. The label is awarded after a successful technical and functional validation by SWIFT, and has been granted to Open Account Manager every year since the inception of the SWIFT TSU certification program.

Louis Blatt, chief product officer at ACI Worldwide said, "Once again, ACI has demonstrated the value it places on staying at the forefront of industry standards and giving our customers confidence that our products will continue to meet their business and regulatory needs."

"SWIFT provides messaging products and services that must be complemented by partner products to provide total solutions. A recent survey of SWIFT users showed that SWIFT application providers are crucial to the support of our customers' business," said Filip Versluys, head of Partner Management at SWIFT. "Since the very beginning of the SWIFTReady program, ACI Worldwide has consistently demonstrated its ongoing commitment to satisfying the standards set down by SWIFT."

SWIFT supplies standards and secure messaging services to financial entities. Candidates for the SWIFTReady accreditation are evaluated on an annual basis to determine their ability to meet a wide range of SWIFT-specific criteria.

Money Transfer System is a multibank and multicurrency global payments processing and risk management system that provides continuous processing capabilities. With interfaces directly to SWIFTNet services, as well as multiple real time gross settlement (RTGS) and low value networks across the globe – the system is a single, integrated solution for domestic and international payments processing, which also fully supports processing for transactions under the SEPA Credit Transfer and Direct Debit schemes.

Open Account Manager is a comprehensive trade solution that offers open account transaction processing and supply chain financing services, including online purchase order (PO) issuance, automatic generation of invoices and document matching. It enables financial institutions to align with both their customers and the strategic partners of their customers, to integrate services across the trade value chain. This integration creates more symbiotic relationships and increases business opportunities with all aspects of the open account trade process. The latest innovative feature is ACI Trade Enhanced Payments which enables both buyer and seller to reduce the expense of completing trade settlement. Open Account Manager is designed and built from the ground up on the TSU standards, and is fully compliant with TSU Release 2.

For more information on ACI Money Transfer System please visitwww.aciworldwide.com/moneytransfersystem. For more information on ACI Open Account Manager please visit www.aciworldwide.com/openaccountmanager.

Twittercue: ACI Money Transfer System and ACI Open Account Manager Receive SWIFTReady Accreditation http://bit.ly/nts4cG

About ACI Worldwide

ACI Worldwide powers electronic payments for more than 800 financial institutions, retailers and processors around the world, with its broad and integrated suite of electronic payment software. More than 90 billion times each year, ACI's solutions process consumer payments. On an average day, ACI software manages more than US$12 trillion in wholesale payments. And for more than 160 organizations worldwide, ACI software helps to protect their customers from financial crime. To learn more about ACI and understand why we are trusted globally, please visit www.aciworldwide.com. You can also find us on www.paymentsinsights.com or on Twitter @ACI_Worldwide.

Company's Subsidiary LML Patent Corp. Advised of Trial Continuance



Source: LML Payment Systems Inc.
Date: September 15, 2011 09:30 ET

Company's Subsidiary LML Patent Corp. Advised of Trial Continuance

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 15, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LML Patent Corp. ("LML"), a wholly-owned, indirect subsidiary of LML Payment Systems Inc. (the "Corporation") (Nasdaq:LMLP) announced today that the trial with respect to the patent infringement lawsuit filed on November 19, 2008 by LML in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas originally involving nineteen defendants in the United States alleging that the defendants infringe U.S. Patent No. RE40,220, which was set to commence on October 4, 2011, has now been ordered continued until March 6, 2012.
"Like any plaintiff, we are disappointed in this postponement. We believe justice delayed is a form of justice denied. Having said that, we are pleased that during this action we were able to settle with and enter into license agreements with seventeen of the original defendants in this case. Clearly, there appears to be more work to be done. Additionally, we expect to follow through with our appeal with the United States Patent and Trademark Office with respect to the inter-partes re-examination and we also expect to continue to move forward with our own ex-parte re-examination that the PTO ordered on Tuesday," commented Patrick Gaines, Chief Executive Officer.
About LML Payment Systems Inc. (www.lmlpayment.com)
LogoLML Payment Systems Inc., through its Canadian subsidiary Beanstream Internet Commerce Inc., and its U.S. subsidiaries Beanstream Internet Commerce Corp. and LML Payment Systems Corp., is a leading provider of financial payment processing solutions for e-commerce and traditional businesses. We provide credit card processing, online debit, electronic funds transfer, automated clearinghouse payment processing and authentication services, along with routing of selected transactions to third party processors and banks for authorization and settlement. Our intellectual property estate, owned by subsidiary LML Patent Corp., includes U.S. Patent No. RE40,220, No. 6,354,491, No. 6,283,366, No. 6,164,528, and No. 5,484,988 all of which relate to electronic check processing methods and systems.

The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Discover Financial Services, MasterCard and Visa


 
CHICAGOSept. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM),Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS), Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS), MasterCard Incorporated (NYSE: MA) and Visa Inc.(NYSE: V).
Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513
Here are highlights from Wednesday's Analyst Blog:
JPMorgan Expects Lower Q3 Revs
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) anticipates its Investment Bank, Asset Management and Corporate/Private Equity segments to post lower or negative revenues sequentially in the third quarter of 2011. This was stated by Mr. Jes Staley, JPMorgan's head of investment banking, at the Barclays Global Financial Services Conference.
Mr. Staley commented that JPMorgan's trading revenue would drop 30% in the third quarter from $5.5 billion recorded in the second quarter. The main reason behind the probable drop is the increased market volatility witnessed in August after Standard & Poor's downgraded the U.S. credit rating. The continued sovereign debt concerns in Europe, along with worries regarding the double-dip recession in the U.S., also add to the woes.
Further, JPMorgan expects its investment banking fees to plunge in the current quarter as debt and equity offering have slowed down and there are lesser merger and acquisition (M&A) activities. According to Mr. Staley, investment banking fees would be approximately $1 billion in the third quarter compared with $1.9 billion in the prior quarter and $1.5 billion in the prior-year quarter.
JPMorgan also anticipates its Asset Management segment to post lower revenues as a result of lower equity market activities. Besides, the company's private equity business is expected to report a loss of about $100 million, while its corporate business is likely to register modestly lower revenues.  
JPMorgan will also take in to consideration additional litigation charges in the current quarter as the company tackles claims over its mortgage lending and mortgage securities businesses.
However, Mr. Staley stated that JPMorgan is not much concerned about its exposure in European loans. The company has about $14 billion of exposure in PortugalIrelandItalyGreece and Spain, including loans and derivatives contracts.
Besides Mr. Staley, Morgan Stanley's (NYSE: MS) Chief Financial Officer (CFO) also commented at the same conference that even Morgan Stanley was forced to take lower risk in its trading business in the current quarter due to the market turmoil.
We believe the significant volatility in stock and bond markets are preventing the investors from taking undue risks, thereby leading to reduced trading revenues for the banks and financial institutions. Furthermore, the Basel III capital requirements and regulatory provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act would also start affecting the banks financial results in the near term.
Currently, JPMorgan retains its Zacks # 3 Rank, which translates into a short-term 'Hold' rating. Also, considering the fundamentals, we are maintaining a long-term "Neutral" recommendation on the stock.
Discover Charge-offs Hit New Low
On Monday, Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) declared its credit card charge-offs for the month of August 2011through a regulatory filing. The company recorded a total charge-off of only $50.8 million, or 3.6% of balances on an annualized basis, down from $54.4 million or 3.83% in July 2011. This is the lowest figure since the beginning of the economic recession a couple of years ago.
The credit card defaults of Discover have been steadily improving over the past six months, leading to a gradual decline in the charge-off rate. Credit card companies write off loans if they are six months past the due date.
In July, the company's charge-off rate had gone below 4% for the first time since the economic recession. On the other hand, the highest charge-off rate ever experienced by Discover was 9.11% in February 2010. Currently the company has one of the lowest charge-off rates in the card industry and competes with other card companies like MasterCard Incorporated (NYSE: MA) and Visa Inc. (NYSE: V).
The delinquency rate, i.e. the rate of delay in payments by 30 days or more, also hit the lowest since the recession in August 2011. The figure declined to 2.49% of balances on an annualized basis in August from 2.6% in July 2011.
The declining defaults are a result of the improving financial situation of US citizens. As they are gradually recovering from the after-effects of recession, they are trying to reduce their credit card debts. As per the figures provided by the Federal Reserve, total card debt has declined by 17% since 2008. Apart from the payments made by card holders, the figure also includes the write-offs made by card companies, amounting to $75 billion.
Currently Discover carries a Zacks #2 Rank, implying a Buy rating for the short term. The company is scheduled to release its earnings before the market opens on September 22, 2011.
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Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.
Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.
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Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Leon Zacks. As a PhD from MIT Len knew he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros at http://at.zacks.com/?id=5518.

Paymentus Gets Equity Investment from Accel-KKR


Significant investment to drive growth by accelerating platform development and expanding distribution reach.

ATLANTACHARLOTTE N.C. and TORONTOSept. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Paymentus Corporation, a leading electronic bill payment, presentment and customer communication technology and services company, today announced that it has received an equity investment provided by Accel-KKR, a technology-focused private equity investment firm. The investment will be used by Paymentus to accelerate development, drive growth, and enhance the footprint of its real-time payment network.
Paymentus' unified, SaaS platform delivers enterprise bill payment, presentment and revenue management technology through a self-service model, simplifying, automating and streamlining the bill payment process.  Processing more than 75 million customer transactions annually, the company's next-generation platform provides real-time, multi-channel payment processing, and the industry's fastest and most simplified implementation experience.   Founded in 2004 by one of the pioneers of the E-Payment/E-Presentment industry, Dushyant Sharma, Paymentus has grown successfully by delivering industry-leading payment acceptance capabilities and currently serves nearly 400 customers across North America.
Dushyant Sharma will continue to lead the business in his current role of President and CEO and will remain a significant investor in the business.   In conjunction with this investment, Gary Trainor, an industry veteran, will join Paymentus as its Executive Chairman.  Mr. Trainor brings to Paymentus three decades of relevant industry and management experience, including 10 years as Division President at First Data.
"We have built Paymentus into a leader in online bill payment, presentment, outbound customer communication and self-service revenue management.  Our team is excited to begin this partnership with Accel-KKR, a firm with a long track record of helping build great businesses. This partnership further solidifies our position and enables us to capitalize on the tremendous market potential," said Dushyant Sharma. "At the same time I am looking forward to working with Gary Trainor, given his industry experience and track record of payment innovation."
"I am excited about joining Paymentus given the company's ability to accept all payment types through all payment channels, and its proven ability to deliver technology that simplifies the entire revenue management relationship between B2C billers and their clients," said Gary Trainor.
Jason Klein, Managing Director of Accel-KKR, added, "Paymentus is a strong fit for Accel-KKR:  it offers advanced payment technology, and a complete revenue management solution that billers have been challenged to access at an affordable price point. The company's truly unified technology solution provides billers unmatched flexibility, payment visibility and cost of deployment. We are pleased to partner with the team to further the company's leadership position."
Pagemill Partners advised Paymentus in connection with this transaction.
About Accel-KKR
Accel-KKR is a technology-focused private equity firm with over $1 billion in assets under management.  The firm invests primarily in software and IT-enabled businesses well positioned for top-line and bottom-line growth. At the core of Accel-KKR's investment strategy is a commitment to developing strong partnerships with the management teams of its portfolio companies and a focus on building value through the significant resources available through Accel-KKR and its network. Accel-KKR has a particular focus on buyouts and recapitalizations of family-owned or closely-held private companies, going-private transactions and divisional buyouts of larger companies.
For more information, please visit www.accel-kkr.com.
About Paymentus
Paymentus is the leader in Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment, Enterprise Customer Communication and Self Service and Revenue Management services. The Paymentus Next Generation, Real-Time Bill Payment Network continues to re-define the bill payment industry by providing strategic and innovative solutions. Our industry expertise enables us to provide leading edge solutions that simplify, automate and streamline bill payment processes. Paymentus serves nearly 400 customers in 43 states and 8 provinces. Our platform is capable of supporting a broad spectrum of industry segments including: Utilities, Municipalities, Counties and Governmental Agencies, Insurance, Healthcare, Financial Services, Property Management and other Commercial Enterprises.
For more information, please visit www.paymentus.com.

SOFTBANK Corp Invests $200mn in InMobi: One of the Largest Investments in the Mobile Internet Space Globally


SAN MATEO, Calif.Sept. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- InMobi, the world's largest independent mobile ad network, and SOFTBANK Corp, completed a $200 million investment, early this week. The funding will take place in two tranches- $100 million in September 2011 followed by an equivalent tranche in April 2012.
Softbank joins existing investors Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Sherpalo Ventures in helping InMobi become a global leader in the mobile advertising industry. The $200 million investment, one of the largest to date in the mobile internet space , will help the company create value across the mobile ecosystem globally through world-class advertising, mobile payments using SmartPay™, and HTML5 rich media production and distribution using the recently acquired Sprout™ platform.
Naveen Tewari, Founder & CEO of InMobi, commented: "The size of the investment and quality of investor validate the enormous potential in mobile today and strengthen our role in helping the industry evolve.  We have already established ourselves as a leader in mobile advertising on every continent.  This is just the beginning. With a global leader like Softbank behind us, we are now well positioned to fully capitalize on the opportunity before us through substantially increased product innovation, deeper market penetration, and acquisitions across the mobile ad value chain."
"I am delighted at this opportunity to partner with InMobi, one the world's largest mobile ad networks", said Masayoshi Son, Chairman and CEO of Softbank.  "I hope the partnership with InMobi, a fast-growing startup with significant mobile expertise and an outstanding technology platform; will further accelerate the pace of development in the mobile Internet space globally. We believe this partnership will help Softbank become the No. 1 Internet company in Asia and I look forward to working with the InMobi team."
This partnership will provide Softbank and InMobi with opportunities to further explore global scale collaboration in the fast growing mobile ad market. It is also expected to generate further synergies between InMobi and Softbank, given the significant number of prominent Asian Internet companies in Softbank's investment portfolio.
John Doerr, Managing Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, said: "InMobi is a rapidly growing company in one of the most explosive technology sectors.  InMobi delivers extraordinary value to publishers and advertisers globally. They are a leader in the mobile advertising revolution."
Ram Shriram, Founder of Sherpalo Ventures added: "InMobi joins a select set of companies globally that have achieved massive scale in a short period of time. This investment is a strong validation of the mobile opportunity across the globe and InMobi's ability to exploit to its full potential. Mobile and Smart Phones are changing the world for consumers, businesses, advertisers and publishers."
About InMobi
InMobi is the world's largest independent mobile advertising network. With offices on four continents, it provides advertisers, publishers and developers with a uniquely global solution for advertising. The network is growing fast and now delivers the unprecedented ability to reach 340 million consumers, in over 165 countries, through more than 47 billion mobile ad impressions monthly. The recent acquisition of Sprout, a leading HTML5 authoring platform for mobile rich media, helps expand InMobi's offering to creative agencies and brands. InMobi was recently selected as a "2011 AlwaysOn Top 100 Mobile Company in Silicon Valley."
InMobi is venture-backed by investors including: Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers and Sherpalo Ventures. The company has offices in LondonSan FranciscoBangaloreTokyoNairobi and Singapore.
To learn more, please visit www.InMobi.com/research, follow us on Twitter @InMobi, or read our blog atwww.InMobi.com/InMobiblog/.
About Softbank
SOFTBANK is a leading Internet company that aims to provide a range of services including mobile communications, broadband infrastructure, fixed-line telecommunications, internet culture, and others.  SOFTBANK declares its company vision "Information Revolution - Happiness for everyone..", and it continuously strives to create synergies among various content and services within the Group.  For more information, please refer to http://www.softbank.co.jp/en/.
US Contact:
IF Communications
Isabel Fox | izzy@if-communications.com | +44 7703 477818
Kelley Joyce | kelley@if-communications.com | 917 566 0808
EU Contact:
IF Communications | +44 207 484 6288
Cordelia Meacher | cordelia@if-communications.com | +44 7961 311080
Simon Judges | simon@if-communications.com | +44 7949 138017
SOURCE InMobi

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