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Technology Stocks : CheckFree (CKFR) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: pat mudge who wrote (1514)	2/5/1998 8:52:00 AM
From: Wesley0428	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 8545

TSYS(R) Teams with CheckFree to Offer Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment/Unveils Electronic Commerce Initiatives Cardholders to Receive and Pay Bills over the Internet COLUMBUS, Ga., Feb. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Total System Services, Inc.(R) (NYSE: TSS)(TSYS), announced today an alliance with CheckFree (Nasdaq: CKFR) that will allow cardholders of TSYS clients to receive and pay their credit card bills over the Internet. TSYS is one of the world's largest credit, debit, commercial and private- label card processors. The Columbus-based company serves card-issuing institutions throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico. CheckFree is the leading provider of electronic bill presentment and payment services to financial institutions. The alliance brings together the strengths and expertise of two technology leaders. As a result of the agreement, TSYS will provide for its client a new on- line bill presentment and payment service called SureRemit(sm), one of the components of the TSYS SureTransact(sm) family of Electronic Commerce products. SureRemit will work the following way: CheckFree will facilitate transmissions of billing data from TSYS to individual cardholders who will then be able to view their statements and pay them with point-and-click ease. TSYS President Philip W. Tomlinson said, "This partnership will allow Total System to offer unprecedented functionality to the 92 million cardholders we currently process on behalf of our clients. Our clients benefit from reduced costs in printing and mailing statements, as well as in remittance processing fees. Cardholders save postage and check costs. The alliance is a win-win situation for everyone." "As one of the largest billers in the world, producing approximately 500 million statements a year, Total System is a perfect partner for CheckFree's E-Bill bill presentment and payment services," said Pete Kight, president and chief executive officer of CheckFree. "Our alliance brings unique and unprecedented capability to Total System's clients." Along with SureRemit, other products and services in the TSYS SureTransact family of services include: SureService(sm) and SureCommerce(sm). The SureService product offers TSYS clients the ability to provide balance inquiry, transaction inquiry and bank and corporate setup to their customers. SureCommerce will allow clients to issue card payment certificates over the Internet securely following the Secure Electronic Transaction protocol set forth by Visa(R) and MasterCard(R). The only company with a proven, in-market tested solution for electronic billing and payment, CheckFree has contracts with 23 of the nation's largest billers, as well as the largest statement processor, for electronic bill presentment. In addition, Atlanta-based CheckFree will announce soon the full market launch of bill presentment for some of the largest billers in the world. Combined, these billers represent nearly 400 million billing and payment transactions per month. Founded in 1981, Atlanta-based CheckFree (www.checkfree.com) is the leading provider of electronic commerce services, software and related products for 2.2 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 over the Internet. In March 1997, CheckFree introduced the nation's first end-to-end system for electronic presentment of richly formatted bills over the Internet, as well as next-generation electronic payment and remittance capabilities. CheckFree's E-Bill uses existing payment systems and allows consumers to access and pay their bills through the branded home-banking services of financial institutions. Headquartered in Columbus, Ga., TSYS is one of the world's largest credit, debit, commercial and private-label card processing companies, serving card- issuing institutions throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico, representing more than 92 million cardholder accounts. TSYS provides a comprehensive on-line system of data processing services marketed as THE TOTAL SYSTEM(R). In 1996, TSYS formed a joint venture with Visa(R) U.S.A. to create Vital Processing Services L.L.C. (www.vitalps.com), a leading full-service merchant services provider. TSYS' 1997 revenues totaled $361.5 million; the company is an 80.7 percent owned subsidiary of Synovus Financial Corp. (NYSE: SNV) (www.synovus.com), a $9.3 billion asset, multi-financial services company and a component of the Standard and Poors 500 Index. Synovus also includes 34 banking affiliates in four Southeastern states, a full-service brokerage firm, a comprehensive trust services provider and a mortgage services company. TSYS' Internet address is www.totalsystem.com. SOURCE Total System Services, Inc. CO: Total Services, Inc.; CheckFree Corporation

To: pat mudge who wrote (1514)	2/5/1998 10:57:00 AM
From: john g	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 8545

What's the matter? Got nothing else to do? What, pray tell, is this doing here?

To: pat mudge who wrote (1514)	2/5/1998 12:25:00 PM
From: Robert Gintel	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 8545

I loved this post because you hit the nail on the head in showing how many of us have personalized our investment in Checkfree. I read all the postings here and can sense the feeling of comraderie that has built up on this thread amongst fellow Checkfree investors who not only are living their investment in the company together where the stakes can be high for many of us, but are also helping each other by unearthing and sharing information and by bolstering our confidence in the investment in the face of all the doubts and disinformation that assails us from time to time. Yes, we are in this together for better or for worse and if the stock went down recently it was only because some of our former fellow shareholders chose to leave the scene of battle. The recent correction was healthy because it flushed out weak holders and brought in new buyers. Years ago, Gerald Loeb wrote a book entitled "The Battle for Investment Survival" and that is exactly what the investment process is, a battle or perhaps even a war. I want to go into that battle with strong holders in my stock, not with wimps who because of ignorance,lack of information, or lack of guts sell out at the first shift in the wind. The analogy with Henry's rousing speech to his followers is right on! If you stay long on this horse and it turns out like we all hope and expet, you may not need to anything else with your time. For everyone's information: 1. Last week we filed a 13 G showing we hold 3.468 million shares of Checkfree. 2. In the fourth quarter of 1997 Putnam Management Company bought 2.4 million shares of ckfr for an initial position and Warburg Pincus added 2.078 million shares giving them a position of 3.151 millon shares. 3. The PR NewsWire carried a story last night saying that Integrion Financial network signed a 10 year pact with Checkfree and that 3 major banks have started pilot tests using the system and 8 others have plans to do so later this year. The payoff for Checkfree and it's shareholders will come in the 18 months starting July 1st of this year. That time period should quantify the size of the income stream that will be thrown off from all the business opportunities that management has been so painstakingly developing for us. I only point out, that if you have gotten in on the ground floor with a large position in a potentially big winner, you need the courage, the patience, and the perseverence to see it through over the long term. I can see that some on this thread have come to realize that. It doesn't look like this management is going to disappoint. We are learning not to be frightened off by big bogeymen who are way behind trying to get into the business and catch up with the parade that has already started. It sure is an exciting company to be invested in.

To: pat mudge who wrote (1514)	2/5/1998 5:02:00 PM
From: Spots	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 8545

And I couldn't help but notice the parallel in the movie "Independence Day" when the president makes his let's go get 'em speech. Well, plagiarism is an ancient art, why should Hollywood blanch at it? Generally the closer to the original the better, IMHO. BTW (off topic), I looked forward to Independence Day because I wanted to see the White House get nuked, and it disappointed me (in that regard) because the president was a brave man, honorable, family man,with the courage of his convictions. Such is fiction <Very Big Sigh>. Took all the pleasure out of the blow-up. Prince Hal was a little more true to the man, I think. Also French casualties afterward outnumbered the English by hundreds to one if memory serves me correctly. I often cite Agincourt as an example for those who think technology is irrelevant. I don't think the French thought the longbow was irrelevant ... Sorry, don't know what got me going on like this ...