TO: ALL Thursday January 16 12:01 PM EDT
HP and Affinity Technology Group to Market SmartAccess Interactive
Kiosks
PALO ALTO, Calif. and COLUMBIA, S.C., Jan. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Hewlett- Packard Company (NYSE: HWP) and
Affinity Technology Group Inc today announced an agreement to cooperatively market HP's SmartAccess interactive kiosks
equipped with Affinity's Decisys/RT(SM) decisioning technology to the financial industry.
The combined solution from HP and Affinity is expected to offer significant benefits, such as automating lending and new
deposit services for consumers. In addition, the companies believe the kiosks will enable financial institutions to extend their
physical presence to almost anywhere, anytime banking. The kiosks, coupled with Affinity's Decisys/RT(SM) decision support
system, can accept and process a consumer loan application, approve it, and deliver a check and other documents -- all in a
matter of minutes. The kiosks may also be used to open checking accounts, process credit card applications, and conduct
other retail financial transactions.
The modular generic kiosk core developed by HP's Integrated Systems Division, is designed to enable financial institutions to
tailor their units to promote their own brand identity. The kiosks can be adapted to a variety of form factors: free standing units,
counter-top units, and a seated configuration.
"HP has the technology and the knowledge to integrate kiosks and link them with current business systems," said John Weidert,
general manager for HP's Integrated Systems Division. "Teaming with Affinity broadens the opportunities for financial
institutions to maximize market share and assets through accurate and effective electronic delivery of services."
Affinity's proprietary Decisys/RT(SM) technology is a real-time, closed- loop decision support system that bridges the gap
between financial institutions and consumers by automating the processing and closing of transactions through any retail delivery
channel.
"This agreement, combining Affinity's leading-edge technology with HP's state-of-the-art interactive kiosks, is a major step in
Affinity's strategy to deliver finance without borders," said Jeff Norris, president and chief executive officer of Affinity. Affinity is
located on the World Wide Web at www.affi.net.
Hewlett-Packard Company is a leading global manufacturer of computing, communications and measurement products and
services recognized for excellence in quality and support. HP has 112,000 employees and had revenue of $38.4 billion in its
1996 fiscal year.
Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at hp.com.
NOTE TO INVESTORS AND EDITORS: Affinity's press releases are available on the Internet at www.affi.net and through
PR Newswire's web site at prnewswire.com. The releases are also available at no charge through PR Newswire's
Company News On-Call fax service at 800-758-5804, extension 112731. SOURCE Affinity Technology Group, Inc. |
