Illinois Power to Provide Customers with Electronic Billing and Payment Through CheckFree E-Bill
ATLANTA, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- CheckFree (Nasdaq: CKFR - news), the nation's leading provider of financial electronic transaction processing, and Illinois Power Company have signed an agreement that will enable Illinois Power customers to visit a central Web site to both receive and pay bills electronically on their personal computers. Illinois Power, a subsidiary of Illinova Corp. (NYSE: ILN - news), is an electric and natural gas utility that serves approximately 650,000 customers over a 15,000-square-mile area of Illinois.
Starting this spring, Illinois Power customers will be able to both receive and pay bills electronically on their personal computers by visiting financial services sites that offer CheckFree's integrated electronic billing and payment. These sites include Chase Manhattan Bank at e-bills.chase.com, First Union at firstunion.com, Charles Schwab at mybills.com, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter at dwdean.com, Prudential Securities at mybills.com, as well as other soon-to-be-launched CheckFree distribution points such as Bank One and PNC Bank.
With CheckFree E-Bill(sm), Illinois Power customers will have the ability to receive detailed information on their monthly charges. The electronic bills will be presented in color, complete with graphics, logos and summary billing detail, and will be paid with a click of the mouse. The ability to view and pay bills over the Internet provides consumers with flexibility in managing personal finances with their home computer.
''We are truly excited to be providing this next level of service to our customers,'' said Tony Harris, Illinois Power's Director of Customer Support Services. ''This agreement follows our commitment to be market leaders in providing solutions to our customers to meet their needs. CheckFree E-Bill service joins DirectPay and Levelized Payment Plan as the newest billing and payment option from Illinois Power.''
Illinois Power is one of a growing number of U.S. companies to offer electronic bill presentment and payment to its customers using CheckFree E-Bill. Since launching the nation's first fully integrated, market-proven electronic billing and payment solution in 1997, CheckFree has signed contracts with more than 40 of the nation's top 100 billers, including: Ameren, American Electric Power, AT&T, Avista Utilities (Washington Water Power), BellSouth, Boston Edison, Chase Credit Card & Chase Mortgage, Columbia Gas of Ohio, Consumers' Energy, Countrywide Home Loans, CUNA Mutual Group, Florida Power & Light, GPU Energy, HomeSide Lending, International Billing Services, Northern Illinois Gas (Nicor), PGE, Public Service Company of New Mexico, Small Business Administration, Southern California Edison, Southern Co., and Total System Services Inc. (TSYS).
''Illinois Power has a 75-year history of dedication to customer service, and like our many other biller companies, is helping to drive consumer adoption of electronic billing services,'' said Matt Lewis, senior vice president of Electronic Commerce Product Management & Marketing for CheckFree. ''That commitment to customer convenience helps to further our goal of presenting as many bills as possible through as many distribution points as possible.''
A demo of CheckFree E-Bill is available at www.checkfree.com. For corporate sales information, call 1-800-532-9696.
About Illinova Corporation
Illinova Corp., headquartered in Decatur, Ill., is an energy services holding company with annual revenues of more than $2.5 billion. Illinois Power is the largest of the Illinova subsidiaries and the second largest investor owned utility in Illinois. A second subsidiary, Illinova Energy Partners, markets energy, including natural gas, and energy-related products and services to customers in the Unites States and Canada. Illinova Generating Company invests in, develops and operates energy-related projects and facilities throughout the world.
About CheckFree
Founded in 1981, CheckFree (www.checkfree.com), the operating subsidiary of CheckFree Holdings Corp., is the leading provider of electronic commerce services, software and related products for more than 2.6 million consumers, 1,000 businesses and 850 financial institutions. CheckFree designs, develops and markets services that enable its customers to make electronic payments and collections, automate paper-based recurring financial transactions and conduct secure transactions on the Internet.
SOURCE: CheckFree Corporation
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