When B.C.-based Community Savings chose to convert to Fincentric Wealthview Banking software in 2006, their own IT team successfully handled the majority of the conversion and implementation of the straightforward technology. Fincentric Corporation, a leading global provider of core retail banking software to financial institutions, provided the credit union with technical consulting, custom interface and post-implementation support.

The smooth conversion to Wealthview Banking software by the credit union’s small IT team illustrates the ease of configuration and inherent workability of the system. “We had the in-house expertise, and the superior design of the system enabled our own IT department to complete the bulk of the conversion, on time and on budget,” says Dana Dekker, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Technology.

Community Savings, B.C.’s largest fully-unionized credit union with $248 million in assets, produced its project plan, scope of work and revisited any gaps before implementing the high-performance technology, a process that took about four months. “We remained committed to using Wealthview Banking out of the box as much as possible, reducing complexity and development requirements,” adds Dekker. “It is a proven and reliable core platform, which further reduced our need to look outside for help.”

Community Savings required a scalable banking system that met its vision to provide improved service to its 10,000 members across five branches using an enhanced Internet banking service, as well as leverage the new Microsoft technologies and rich functionality added to Wealthview Banking twice a year through the Fincentric Service Pack strategy. The complete front-end to back office banking core solution supports integrated delivery across channels and offers real-time, online transaction processing.

Wealthview Banking is a scalable, high-performance core banking software solution that will grow with the credit union’s expanding needs, help to streamline processes and offer higher levels of personalized service. Community Savings upgraded to MemberDirect® 5.0, an Internet banking service to help its members better manage their daily online transactions. New services offered through MemberDirect®  and Wealthview Banking include: enhanced account activity and summary, one-click bill payment, up to 250 online vendors, future and recurring bill payment and transfers set-up, printable cheque images and statement downloads to Quicken, Money, Books and XLS, in time for the upcoming income tax season.

The conversion to Wealthview Banking has been a smooth process for Community Savings and its members. “None of this would have been possible without the personal involvement of Fincentric CEO, Rob Nygren. Having this direct access to Mr. Nygren was the clear advantage in working with a local, flat and transparent organization like Fincentric,” says Dekker. “In addition, we are deeply grateful for all the hard work of the Fincentric development team. They did an amazing job. This level of support speaks volumes about the personality and heart of Fincentric and its drive for excellence.”

“We are thrilled with the hard work and determination of the Community Savings team to make this conversion a success primarily using their own IT resources. Their leadership team is second to none and played an exceptional role. The success of the Community Savings conversion showcases the confidence our customers have in the Fincentric core banking technology,” says Robert Nygren, President and CEO of Fincentric Corporation. “We’re excited to continue to offer additional support to Community Savings as they grow and offer more services to match their member needs across B.C.”

About Community Savings
Community Savings Credit Union is BC's 20th largest credit union with over $257 million in assets, 10,000 members and 5 branches throughout Greater Vancouver and Victoria. Established in 1944, Community Savings serves members across the province by branches, telephone, ATM, and the Internet. Community Savings is guided by a commitment to corporate social responsibility and to improve the quality of life in the communities where we live and work. Visit Community Savings' website at www.comsavings.com.

About Fincentric Corporation
Fincentric Corporation is a leading provider of core retail banking and customer value management software to the global financial services industry. Fincentric’s Wealthview family of integrated products enables financial institutions to leverage customer knowledge to deliver personalized service and products, and to develop profitable customer relationships. Fincentric has strategic alliances with TELUS, Microsoft and Intel, and supports financial institutions in over 20 countries. For more information about Fincentric, please visit www.fincentric.com.

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New Solution Drives Down Costs and Increases Efficiency

ADP Clearing & Outsourcing Services (ADP), a division of Automatic Data Processing, Inc. (NYSE: ADP), announced that WestLB Securities Inc. (WestLB) is outsourcing to ADP a range of operations functions relating to clearing and custody. WestLB, the first institutional client on this service, will remain a separate self-clearing broker dealer.

This unique offering enables WestLB to remain a self-clearing entity on ADP's Brokerage Processing Services (BPS) back-office technology while using ADP's centralized operations staff to maximize economies of scale. This highly flexible solution allows WestLB the opportunity to outsource certain operations activities and back-office functions without impacting the customer experience.

Pino Vallejo, Executive Director, WestLB said, "After a thorough analysis, we determined that outsourcing some of the labor-intensive functions of our back-office operations was the most cost efficient way to grow our business. It allows our management team to focus their efforts on areas of our business which differentiate us from our competition. The conversion onto ADP Operations Outsourcing went very smoothly and we are enthusiastic about going forward with this service."

Operations Outsourcing, a unique offering in the marketplace, allows ADP service bureau clients to outsource a variety of the operational, labor-intensive functions relating to trade clearance, settlement and custody while continuing to remain a separate self-clearing broker. This customized solution affords any client the opportunity to continue to manage its core business with no impact to its front office and its customers while continuing to control its financing and related activities.

"We are delighted to expand our long-term partnership with WestLB. This solution will reduce costs while allowing WestLB to take advantage of ADP's economies of scale and dedication to World Class Service," said John Hogan, co-President, ADP Brokerage Services Group.

Operations Outsourcing is part of ADP's three-tier strategy to offer any brokerage firm, regardless of size, the appropriate range of outsourcing services to best meet its individual needs on a single technology platform, including service bureau, operations outsourcing, or correspondent clearing services.

In addition, WestLB uses ADP's Gloss for international trade processing, impact and Brokerage Processing Services (BPS) for its North American fixed income and equities processing respectively. In addition, ADP distributes WestLB's confirmations, statements, and prospectuses. WestLB currently outsources its reorg and proxy business to ADP.

About ADP Brokerage Services Group

As the premier provider of transaction services to the financial industry, ADP has the capacity and technological expertise to assist its clients in differentiating themselves in the marketplace. ADP brings to financial intermediaries advanced, integrated systems for securities processing, desktop productivity and investor communication services, all focused on providing solutions for straight through processing and World Class Service.

ADP, with nearly $9.0 billion in revenues and more than 570,000 clients worldwide, is one of the largest providers of a broad range of premier, mission-critical, cost-effective transaction processing and information-based business solutions. For more information about ADP Brokerage Services Group, please visit www.bsg.adp.com and for other ADP services and investor information, please visit www.adp.com.

About WestLB

WestLB AG is one of Germany's leading financial services providers with offices in the world's largest financial centers. The firm provides financial advisory, lending, structured finance, project finance, capital markets and private equity products, asset management, transaction services and real estate finance to institutions. WestLB has total assets of more than EUR 292 billion, as of September 30, 2006. For more information, please visit www.westlb.com

In the United States, certain securities, trading, brokerage and advisory services are provided by WestLB's wholly owned subsidiary WestLB Securities Inc., a registered broker-dealer and member of the NASD and SIPC.

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Matrox Graphics Inc., the leading manufacturer of graphics solutions for professionals, announces the Extio™ F1220, the latest addition to the Extio series of Remote Graphics Units (RGUs).  The Extio F1220 enables the extension of one or two displays, audio, two IEEE 1394 FireWire ports, and up to six USB devices, such as keyboard and mouse, by up to 820 feet (250 meters). By separating the computer from the monitors and user-interface, the Extio series of products helps address issues such as security, heat, noise, system maintenance and support in high-reliability computing environments.

“The Extio series reinforces the Matrox commitment to delivering the most stable and reliable graphics solutions to professional workstations and mission-critical monitoring systems,” says Samuel Recine, Business Development Manager – Critical Decision Systems, Matrox Graphics Inc. “The Extio F1220 will join the Extio product family in providing a more integrated and higher-performance alternative to older KVM Extension and DVI Extension technologies.”

With support for one or two digital or analog monitors at resolutions up to 1920 x 1200 per monitor, 128MB of graphics memory, fanless operation (no moving parts), and a Matrox-designed graphics chip, the Extio F1220 provides long-lasting and reliable operation. The Extio F1220 RGU is connected to a Matrox PCI or PCI-Express Extio adapter card in a workstation or server slot via a standard multi-mode fiber-optic cable with Dual-LC connectors. The connectivity options include 6 USB 2.0 ports (4 at the front, 2 at the back), integrated audio hardware with standard audio jacks, and two IEEE 1394 FireWire ports.  Driver features for Extio series products include support for Pivot, PowerRes for robust widescreen display, stretched and independent display, and other powerful display management features.

Key application areas include financial, insurance, and commodities trading systems; emergency and transportation dispatch control systems; process control systems; security systems; command-and-control systems; and other high-reliability applications in enterprise, industrial, and government systems.

For more information on Matrox Extio F1220 for financial and insurance applications, visit: http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/finent/products/extio/extiof1220.php.

For more information on Matrox Extio F1220 for dispatch, security and process control applications, visit: http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/dispatch/products/extio/extiof1220.php.

Availability and pricing
Matrox Extio F1220 will be available in the second quarter of 2007. For pricing and other sales information, call 1-800-361-1408 (North America) or e-mail insales@matrox.com.

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Auerbach Grayson & Company Inc., a leading agency brokerage specializing in international securities trading for U.S. institutional investors, announced that it has added long-established CSL Stockbrokers Ltd. of Nigeria to the Auerbach Grayson Global Broker Network.

A member of the Nigerian Stock Exchange since 1977 and one of the largest brokers in the country in terms of trading volume and size of trades, CSL Stockbrokers has more than 20,000 retail, government and corporate clients. Over the last three years, CSL Stockbrokers has been one of the largest facilitators of offshore trades on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

In 2006, CSL Stockbrokers independently executed almost US$50 million in trades for offshore clients. CSL Stockbrokers clients can visit any of the firm’s 100 branches located in major cities across Nigeria, as well as execute their trades online.  CSL Stockbrokers and its flagship company, FCMB Plc., are members of Nigeria’s pioneering financial services group, First City Group.

“We believe our union with Auerbach Grayson will further enhance our already dominant position in the offshore market,” said Gboyega O. Balogun, Executive Director, CSL Stockbrokers and Divisional Head of Investment Services of FCMB Capital Markets Subgroup.

Jonathan L. Auerbach, Managing Director and co-founder of Auerbach Grayson said, “CSL Stockbrokers has an outstanding reputation and is a prime example of the well-established local brokers on our network who are in the best position to provide in-depth research and analysis of local markets and individual companies to our institutional clients.”   

Auerbach Grayson (www.agco.com) offers a full range of in-depth research, trade execution and settlement services in equities, derivatives and fixed-income instruments to U.S. institutional clients through its global network of local partners that now extends to 100 countries. Each broker partner provides exclusive local color and research, distributed to Auerbach Grayson’s institutional clients, as well as handles all details of trading and settlement.

Auerbach Grayson’s reach spans North America to South America, Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the Pacific Rim, and Africa, where its local broker partners are based in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and 21 Sub-Sahara countries, including Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Auerbach Grayson Company Inc., founded in 1993 in New York City by Managing Directors Jonathan L. Auerbach and David S. Grayson, is dedicated to making global investing more efficient and effective for U.S institutional investors by partnering with more than 100 brokers and banks in 101 local markets worldwide. The firm also provides and implements hedging and arbitrage strategies. Auerbach Grayson is a member of the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) and the Securities investor Protection Corporation (SIPC).

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Connecture, Inc., the leading provider of Web-based sales, service and process automation solutions to the health insurance industry, has teamed up with Microsoft Corp. to broaden the functionality of its InsureConnect product suite. Connecture will extend the capabilities of its market-leading solution by embedding Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0. This combined offering is the next step in an enterprise solution to enable health insurers to automate sales processes for speed to market, productivity and market share benefits.

“Connecture’s focus is to aggressively add functionality to the InsureConnect product suite with the goal of continuing to have the most comprehensive solution in the marketplace, offering business value that includes increased membership growth, retention, and profitability through cost savings. Linking leading solutions like Microsoft Dynamics CRM with our expertise in health plan sales, enrollment, and underwriting process automation will enable us to provide unmatched business value to our customers,” stated David Sockel, Vice President of Business Operations at Connecture. “We decided to collaborate with Microsoft because of its commitment to the health insurance industry, as well as the unique capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics CRM.”

The InsureConnect product suite includes multiple modules to make it possible for health plans to automate their sales and underwriting processes. These modules include Quoting, Rating, Enrollment and Installation, Underwriting, Policy Administration and Renewal. Offering Microsoft Dynamics CRM gives Connecture clients a feature-rich option for sales process automation, and its flexible architecture enables Connecture clients to integrate with their existing business processes and connect to existing legacy systems. Curt Schumacher, Vice President of Product Management at Connecture, said, “Microsoft Dynamics CRM helps streamline people-driven processes through close integration with Microsoft Office Outlook and provides broad functionality, including marketing, customer service, and opportunity features, as well as robust lead and prospect management. This collaboration between Connecture and Microsoft provides a unique offering to the health plan market segment that enables straight-through processing. The added features Microsoft Dynamics CRM brings to the InsureConnect solution gives health plans the opportunity to automate all aspects of the insurance sales process from lead generation to renewal. The time and cost savings can be significant.”

 “When Microsoft’s industry solution partners like Connecture embed components like Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0 in their solution offerings, their customers gain speed to market and a competitive advantage because the familiarity and ease of use of Microsoft Office maximizes employee impact and minimizes costly training,” said Dr. Dennis Schmuland, U.S. Industry Solutions Director for Health Plans at Microsoft Corp. “We believe that the market advantage will go to health plans that can best equip their channels, agents, and brokers with tools like InsureConnect that makes the lead-to-enrollment experience smoother, more productive, and more responsive for agents, brokers, and customers.”

About Connecture

Connecture is solely focused on delivering integrated Web-based sales, service and process automation solutions to the health insurance industry. Connecture has automated elements of the insurance sales and service process for over 70 health plans and insurers, and its solutions currently support the sales and servicing of 10 of the 20 largest health plans and insurers in the country. Its industry-proven solutions encompass the entire spectrum of multi-channel insurance sales and services for small group, large group and individual markets. Connecture offers an end-to-end business process transaction platform consisting of focused modular applications that fully integrate with existing legacy systems. Connecture’s solutions have proven to deliver increased sales, enhanced broker loyalty, improved back-office efficiencies, lower customer acquisition costs, and lower overall operating expenses. For more information, call Megan Moyer at 262.408.3866 or visit the Connecture Web site at http://www.connecture.com/. Connecture has offices at 101 Marietta Street, Suite 1700, Atlanta, GA, and at One Riverwood Place, N17W24222 Riverwood Drive, Suite 330, Waukesha, WI.

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Progress® Apama® Complex Event Processing and Business Activity Monitoring Capabilities to Provide Core Components for the Microsoft MiFID Offering 

Progress Software Corporation (Nasdaq: PRGS), a global supplier of application infrastructure software used to develop, deploy, integrate and manage business applications, today announced that it has partnered with Microsoft to provide its Progress® Apama® Event Processing Platform as a key component of Microsoft's MiFID (Markets in Financial Instruments Directive) solution suite. The solution will enable financial institutions worldwide to meet European MiFID requirements that go into effect on 1 November, 2007. The Apama platform will provide Complex Event Processing (CEP) and Business Activity

Monitoring (BAM) capabilities enabling firms to monitor and analyze their MiFID best execution compliance, as well as to meet the reporting, reference data and trade history requirements.

The Apama Event Processing platform enables organizations to monitor rapidly moving event streams, identify sophisticated patterns, and take action - all within milliseconds. Furthermore, with the Apama Event Modeller™ graphical CEP development tool, compliance business analysts can rapidly develop, evolve, test and deploy elements of their MiFID infrastructure within minutes. These capabilities allow financial institutions to respond to the changing demands of the Directive immediately, as opposed to the days, weeks, or months required by other approaches.

Ian Warford, industry director for Securities and Capital Markets at Microsoft EMEA, Financial Services Industry, comments: "Microsoft has been focusing on MiFID for over 18 months and in collaboration with our partners we are now offering eight 'mix and match' solutions to what we see as the main problem areas of the EU Directive. We have partnered with Progress Apama because the CEP and BAM capabilities of its platform, which runs on Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003, Microsoft SQL Server™ and Microsoft BizTalk® Server, are field-proven to satisfy the requirements of MiFID. Together, we are providing a flexible and cost effective solution that can
help financial firms not only meet the Directive's requirements, but also benefit from being able to compete with the US and the growing influence of the Asian markets."

In a recent industry report, Philip Howard, Bloor Research Director, wrote: 'The Progress Apama platform has several major advantages over nearly all of its rivals: it has the longevity and customer base that can prove its capabilities, and it is a global player. No other supplier can offer all of these qualities together with the performance and breadth of capability that the Apama platform offers.'

Moreover, the Apama BAM capabilities will give business users immediate visibility into their entire trading operations and market activity through real-time graphical dashboards to monitor, analyze and act on a firm's compliance with, or potential deviation from, MiFID's best execution guidelines. Additionally, the Apama EventStore™ functionality will enable users to comply with the reporting, reference data and trade history elements of the MiFID Directive, which requires the capture and storage of more than five years of relevant market and trade data. 

Mark Palmer, vice president and general manager of the Apama Division of Progress Software, says: "Microsoft's selection of Progress Apama as one of its MiFID partners reinforces our position as the market leader in CEP and BAM. The combined solution will not only enable firms to meet their regulatory requirements, but also to streamline their business processes to ensure they remain competitive in the global marketplace. We look forward to working with Microsoft to provide a trusted infrastructure for fair trading and competitive execution."
 
Progress Software Corporation
Progress Software Corporation (Nasdaq: PRGS) provides application infrastructure software for the development, deployment, integration and management of business applications. Our goal is to maximize the benefits of information technology while minimizing its complexity and total cost of ownership. Progress can be reached at www.progress.com  or +1-781-280-4000.

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A lack of organization disrupts even the most productive of processes, and that also applies to computers. O&O Defrag professionally defragments hard disks, including with immediate effect those under Windows Vista. The reward for implementing this fully automated tidying up process is a substantial increase in system performance.

You could say that Windows only saves new or amended files in one piece to the hard disk on the very first day. With the passage of time, "holes" appear on the hard disk as a result of deletions, and these holes are then used during the next save procedure, as new files are stored at these locations. If the files don't fit into these holes in their entirety, the system splits them and then stores the separate pieces at different locations. This untidiness builds up after a while, meaning the hard disk has to turn several times before the read heads can locate and read all Bytes from a requested file.  Frank Alperstaedt, Managing Director of O&O Software: "Increased fragmentation on a hard disk substantially reduces the performance of your computer system."

O&O Defrag optimizes a computer's hard disk under Windows XP Home, XP Professional, 2000 Professional, NT 4 Workstation and now in the new version under Windows Vista too. The program packs fragmented files together again and saves them in one piece within a reorganized framework. With the O&O OneButtonDefrag module, the hard-working member of the team responsible for organizing the files can start a defrag with just one mouse click - in other words, whenever it best suits them.

Get Organized with the Screensaver

A new function of O&O Defrag V8.6 Professional is the one-of-a-kind Defrag Screensaver. This springs to life as a screensaver whenever the user leaves the mouse or keyboard untouched for a few minutes, and starts up a defragmentation process with no further prompting. The user then has five defragmentation methods at their fingertips, and can select their preferred method simply by going to settings.  Using O&O Defrag requires no further PC knowledge. Once the software is installed and the Defrag Screensaver is set up, O&O Defrag takes care of the rest on its own, bringing order to chaotic hard disks. It is not rare to experience up to 100% improvements in performance after carrying out a defragmentation. Frank Alperstaedt: "If someone is unable to leave their PC during a defragmentation job, O&O Defrag simply works in the background. In this mode, the program places only the bare minimum of demands on system resources in order not to disturb the user at work."  O&O Defrag also works seamlessly with removable drives that are only temporarily connected to the computer. Such external hard disks are constantly called upon to store new and important files, meaning they too need regularly tidying up. The program offers special support for Notebooks, with defragmentation enabling the quickest possible system starts.

Most Important Features at a Glance

* NEW: Microsoft Windows Vista and 64-Bit Support
* NEW: One-of-a-kind Defrag Screensaver included
* Quickest possible system start-ups
* Up to 100% more speed
* Automization with O&O OneButtonDefrag
* Special support for Notebooks
* Automatic defragmentation in the background
* Support for removable drives
* Easy to use without prior experience
* Five different methods of defragmentation

The O&O Defrag V8.6 Server Edition also boasts integrated software distribution for networks and simple remote  administration with O&O TrueRemoteControl.

Download the Trial Version Now

The O&O Defrag Professional Edition costs USD 49.95. The full version can be ordered either online or from retailers as a retail pack with a printed User's Guide. As an introduction to the product, O&O Software offers a free trial version as a download that every user can try out on their own PC.

Homepage: www.oo-software.com
Text and product imagery for use by the media are available in the O&O
PressCenter at: http://www.oo-software.com/en/press/

About O&O Software
O&O Software GmbH has been developing "Tools for Windows" since 1997.  Customers include home users, SMEs, public institutions and global business groups. These tools are effectually sold directly and by using our partner network and are available in more than 50 countries. The product portfolio includes applications for performance optimization, data restoration and the secure deletion of data. O&O products have been judged as technologically leading in numerous tests. You can find more information and free trial versions of all products on our website.  O&O's products include O&O BlueCon, O&O CleverCache, O&O Defrag, O&O DiskRecovery, O&O DriveLED, O&O FormatRecovery, O&O RescueBox, O&O SafeErase, O&O ToolBox, O&O UnErase

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Open Solutions stockholders receive $38.00 per share

Open Solutions Inc.® (NASDAQ:OPEN) announced the completion of the merger pursuant to which Open Solutions has been acquired by affiliates of The Carlyle Group and Providence Equity Partners, two leading private equity firms.

On October 14, 2006, Open Solutions entered into a merger agreement with affiliates of The Carlyle Group and Providence Equity Partners, which provides that Open Solutions stockholders are entitled to receive $38.00 in cash, without interest, for each share of Open Solutions common stock held. The total transaction is valued at approximately $1.4 billion.

“The combination of The Carlyle Group and Providence Equity Partners’ financial resources in partnership with Open Solutions’ powerful technology offerings creates an even stronger industry-focused team. As we enter this new and exciting chapter for Open Solutions we are as committed as ever in our efforts to revolutionize the financial services sector,” said Louis Hernandez, Jr., Open Solutions Chairman and CEO. “We are pleased to partner with two industry leading firms, The Carlyle Group and Providence Equity Partners, who fully understand our company, our vision and our mission. We look forward to working together to build on the success of our company by providing innovative and enabling technology solutions to our clients and the marketplace.”

Bud Watts, Managing Director of The Carlyle Group, stated, "We would like to thank Louis and the entire Open Solutions management team for their outstanding efforts in completing this transaction. We are excited about our partnership with Providence Equity Partners, Louis and his strong management team and look forward to supporting Open Solutions as we continue to grow the company and invest in its products and service offerings. We believe that Open Solutions' valued clients and talented employees will all benefit directly from this continued growth and expansion."

"We are pleased to have completed the transaction quickly with overwhelming support from Open Solutions shareholders," said Julie Richardson, Managing Director at Providence Equity Partners. "Partnering with Louis and his talented team and Carlyle, we plan to drive value at Open Solutions through investment in continued growth and expansion of the company."

Open Solutions stock will cease to trade on the NASDAQ National Market at the close of market today and will be de-listed.

Open Solutions has appointed Computershare Trust Company, N.A., as paying agent. Stockholders of Open Solutions who possess stock certificates will receive instructions and a letter of transmittal by mail from Computershare concerning how and where to surrender the Open Solution certificates that they hold for payment. Stockholders who hold shares in “street name” through a bank, broker or other nominee will not have to take any action to have their shares converted into cash as such conversions will be handled by the bank, broker or other nominee. Questions about the deposit of merger proceeds should be directed to the appropriate broker, bank or other nominee or to Computershare.

In addition, on January 23, 2007, Open Solutions completed its previously announced tender offer for its outstanding $270,000,000 aggregate principal amount at maturity senior subordinated convertible notes due 2035 ("Notes"), pursuant to its Offer to Purchase, dated December 21, 2007. The tender offer expired at 11:00 am New York City time on January 23, 2007.

On January 23, 2007, Open Solutions accepted for payment all validly tendered Notes, consisting of $269,875,000 in aggregate principal amount at maturity of Notes, representing approximately 99.9% of the outstanding Notes. The supplemental indenture executed in connection with the merger became operative January 23, 2007.

About The Carlyle Group
The Carlyle Group is a global private equity firm with $46.9 billion under management. Carlyle invests in buyouts, venture & growth capital, real estate and leveraged finance in Asia, Europe and North America, focusing on technology, aerospace & defense, automotive & transportation, business services, consumer & retail, energy & power, healthcare, industrial and telecommunications & media. Since 1987, the firm has invested $24 billion of equity in 576 transactions for a total purchase price of $101.8 billion. Carlyle employs more than 740 people in 16 countries. Recent investments have included the acquisitions of Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., one of the world's largest semiconductor companies, SS&C Technologies, Inc., a provider of highly specialized proprietary software and related services to the financial services industry, Dunkin' Brands, Inc., a franchisor of quick service restaurant concepts, The Hertz Corporation, the largest worldwide car rental brand, and The Nielsen Company, a leading information and media company.

About Providence Equity Partners Inc.
Providence Equity Partners Inc. is a global private investment firm specializing in equity investments in media and entertainment, communications and information companies around the world. The principals of Providence Equity manage funds with over $20 billion in equity commitments and have invested in more than 100 companies operating in over 20 countries since the firm's inception in 1990. Significant investments include SunGard Data Systems Inc., Bresnan Broadband Holdings, LLC , Casema N.V., Com Hem Group, Education Management Corporation, eircom Group plc, Kabel Deutschland GmbH, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., Grupo Corporativo ONO, PanAmSat Corporation, ProSieben-Sat.1 Media AG, Recoletos Grupo de Comunicaci' on S.A., VoiceStream Wireless Corp., Warner Music Group Corp., Western Wireless Corporation and TDC A/S. Providence Equity is headquartered in Providence, RI and has offices in New York, NY and London, UK.

About Open Solutions Inc.
Open Solutions Inc. offers a fully featured strategic product platform that integrates core data processing applications built on a single centralized Oracle relational database, with Internet banking, cash management, CRM/business intelligence, financial accounting tools, imaging, digital documents, Check 21, interactive voice response, network services, Web hosting and design, and payment and loan origination solutions. Open Solutions’ full suite of products and services allows banks, thrifts, credit unions and financial services providers in the United States and Canada to better compete in today’s aggressive financial services marketplace, and expand and tap their trusted financial relationships, client affinity, community presence and personalized service.

For more information about Open Solutions or its financial product line, contact Mickey Goldwasser by email at mgoldwasser@opensolutions.com by phone at 860.652.3153 or via fax at 860.652.3156. Visit Open Solutions’ Internet site at www.opensolutions.com.

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Softonic is pleased to announce the creation of insideTonic, Softonic's new software blog (www.insidetonic.com). Building on the success of Softonic's download portal, an archive of over 55,000 free and commercial applications, insideTonic is a filtered look through the jungle of desktop and web based software which has been designed to broaden discussion about software.

The same editors who have reviewed thousands of applications and who scour the net to keep Softonic up-to-date bring their experience to a new format that allows for a broader debate surrounding the central idea that software is an essential part of our daily lives.

Updated daily, insideTonic features a wide range of interesting articles covering diverse topics, from application reviews, productivity tips, security alerts and industry analysis- as well as information about Softonic's hottest downloads, of course. We're confident that whatever aspect of software you're interested in; you'll find plenty of good reading and debate at insideTonic.

Amongst the special features on insideTonic is the Head-to-Head section in which our editors pit two leading programs against each other in order to provide you with the low-down on the merits and pitfalls of each. If you're looking for useful advice, our editors have done the hard work of scouring the web in order to bring you the best tips, tricks and shortcuts for getting most out of your software. For anyone who's a fan of classic computer games, check out our Retro section and discover some of your old favourites.

If there's one thing Softonic excels at, it's bringing you the latest and most popular software available.  So if you want to keep up to date then our top 10 section is a great way to discover the best new programs, as well as some hidden gems.

Come and discover what insideTonic has for you and don't forget to leave us your comments; even if it's just to say hi!

About Softonic
Softonic is the online reference for software searches, free downloads and purchases. It gives users access over 50,000 shareware, freeware and trial version software with reviews in English, Spanish and German for Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Palm OS, Pocket PC and Mobile Phones. With 370,000 downloads per day, 80 million monthly page views and 7.2 million unique users, Softonic is the European leader in Software distribution by Internet and is the number one Spanish download portal in the world.

Softonic Statistics:
- Europe's biggest download portal *
- World's 2nd biggest download portal *
- Offers software reviews in English, Spanish and German
- More than 55,000 tested programs online
- More than 550,000 downloads per day
- More than 12.5 million unique visitors per month
- More than 120 million page views per month
- Alexa Ranking: 508*
* based on Alexa ranking

Contact Ashley Cramer
Phone +34 935 920 352
Inquiries press@softonic.com  Web http://en.softonic.com

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Company's innovative ePrivacy Suite recognized for ease of use, cost effectiveness and proven encryption

Secured eMail, a leader in content encryption, announced that its flagship product, ePrivacy Suite, has achieved West Coast Labs Checkmark certification for Email Security.

The West Coast Labs Checkmark System is a quality testing and certification service with established, independent standards for product effectiveness. The company's global service benefits technology developers as well as information security buyers and decision makers. Checkmark standards are continuously being refined to ensure they are an accurate reflection of real-world situations and changing technology advances. Products registered in the Checkmark System are tested at regular intervals against published test criteria

West Coast Lab analysis of Secured eMail's ePrivacy Suite found it to be "a powerful, tried and tested solution that combines ease of use and cost effectives with proven encryption, to deliver a fresh approach to email security. With built-in centralized policy management, organizations can be confident that their email security needs will be met or exceeded."

Secured eMail products are based on a concept new to the encryption world: the Simple Encryption Platform. SEP provides highest levels of security, along with ease of use, making the act of securing data while at rest, or in transit, a very simple process. The Simple Encryption Platform has created an approach that offers operability, scalability and simple management of assets. The platform provides a framework for shared user management, policy and automated control across multiple encryption applications such as email and file/folder encryption.

Companies can deploy the SEP platform that allows them to integrate new encryption applications quickly and easily, profiting from the benefits of a unified management console and resulting in high ROI over time. A platform strategy allows additional Secured eMail products to leverage this common platform allowing deployment to be more cost-effective, thereby reducing operational costs and freeing IT resources to focus on additional projects

"We are extremely pleased that yet another independent testing lab has recognized the combination of power, performance, and usability of the Secured ePrivacy Suite" said Peter Davin, CEO of Secured eMail. "We are committed to providing our customers with the most effective and secure email security solution possible. This certification is proof that we deliver what we say."

Secured eMail will be exhibiting at booth # 1025 at the RSA Conference in San Francisco from February 5 through 8.

About West Coast Labs
West Coast Labs is an independent organization which tests and validates the functionality and performance of information security products. West Coast Labs has also developed the Checkmark certification system into one of the world's foremost certification programs -- an integrated system of standards that are recognized around the world as reliable indicators of performance levels. For more information, visit www.westcoastlabs.org.

About Secured eMail
Secured eMail is a recognized leader in providing encryption solutions that secure data at rest and in transit. The company's promise is "Secured Content Management - Simplified". Its mission is to provide security technology that people actually can and will use. Secured eMail helps users secure email, files, folders, disks, USB sticks and mobile terminals without forcing users to change the way they work, while giving IT departments' complete control of user rights. The company has offices in Gothenburg, Sweden, New York, London and Mannheim, Germany, and Atlanta.  For more information about Secured eMail and the company's portfolio of encryption solutions, visit www.securedemail.com or email info@securedemail.com

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NetSpend Corporation to Implement ERASE to Monitor Prepaid Card Activity to Detect Money Laundering and Fraud

NetEconomy, the global leader in financial crime management and compliance solutions, announced that NetSpend Corporation, the United States’ leading provider of prepaid cards, has selected its ERASE^® Compliance Manager™ solution to detect and report potential money laundering and fraudulent activities. 

A pioneer in the prepaid card industry, NetSpend was founded seven years ago and has grown to be a national leader, processing over $4 billion in card payments annually. NetSpend will implement NetEconomy’s ERASE Compliance Manager solution within the next several months to monitor upwards of four million transactions monthly in order to detect and report suspicious debit-card activity.

“We maintain an aggressive and comprehensive program of risk and compliance management to ensure we fully comply, and exceed wherever possible, all Federal (Patriot Act, BSA) and State regulations,” said John De Lavis, Chief Operating Officer, NetSpend. “Working with NetEconomy continues our effort to employ the best available measures to protect our partner banks, merchants and their customers from the risk of unlawful activity. We chose NetEconomy from the offerings we evaluated for its comprehensive and innovative features and its ease of deployment.”  

“NetSpend’s progressive approach for prioritizing and addressing these risks demonstrates a strong commitment to risk management and fighting financial crime within the prepaid card industry,” said Andrew Davies, US General Manager of NetEconomy. “We are delighted with NetSpend’s choice of NetEconomy.”

About NetSpend Corporation

NetSpend Corporation is the leading provider of innovative, accessible prepaid debit cards that enable financial freedom and growth for self-banked consumers. Grounded by a mission of financial empowerment, NetSpend is committed to meeting its customers’ financial services needs on their terms while offering the convenience, security and acceptance of conventional financial services. NetSpend’s proprietary processing platform is unique in the industry and allows it to support prepaid card programs end-to-end from customer acquisition and card fulfillment to customer service and risk management. The NetSpend^® Prepaid Card Network includes leading consumer brands and the foremost companies serving the un-banked and under-banked markets, and its strategic relationships include card issuers, EFT networks and payment card associations.  For more information, visit www.netspend.com.

About NetEconomy
NetEconomy is the leading provider of financial crime management and compliance solutions. With over 110 implementations across 48 countries, NetEconomy has an exceptional track record for developing and delivering highly effective and easily deployable solutions for anti-money laundering, fraud prevention and market surveillance. NetEconomy brings business value to its worldwide client base through its personalized customer approach for minimizing regulatory risk, delivering measurable results, and protecting corporate brand/reputation. NetEconomy is headquartered in The Hague, with offices in Boston, London, New York, Paris and Kuala Lumpur, and distributors and strategic partners across the Middle East, Caribbean, Europe, South (East) Asia and the United States. For more information, visit www.neteconomy.com.

Alison Holland

Marketing Director Worldwide

+1 508893 6066

aholland@neteconomy.com

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Open Solutions Inc.® (NASDAQ: OPEN) announced that the stockholders of the Company voted to adopt the merger agreement providing for the acquisition of Open Solutions by entities affiliated with The Carlyle Group and Providence Equity Partners, two leading private equity firms. Based upon the preliminary tally of shares voted at a special meeting of its stockholders held today, 15,028,943 shares were voted at the meeting, representing 73.8% of Open Solutions’ outstanding voting shares. Approximately 99.7% of the shares present and voting, which represents approximately 73.5% of the total number of shares outstanding and entitled to vote, voted in favor of the adoption of the merger agreement.

Under the terms of the merger agreement, Open Solutions stockholders will be entitled to receive $38.00 per share in cash, without interest, for each share of Open Solutions common stock held. The transaction is anticipated to close on Tuesday, January 23, 2007.

About The Carlyle Group
The Carlyle Group is a global private equity firm with over $50 billion under management. Carlyle invests in buyouts, venture & growth capital, real estate and leveraged finance in Asia, Europe and North America, focusing on technology, aerospace & defense, automotive & transportation, business services, consumer & retail, energy & power, healthcare, industrial and telecommunications & media. Since 1987, the firm has invested $24 billion of equity in 576 transactions for a total purchase price of $101.8 billion. Carlyle employs more than 740 people in 16 countries. Recent deals have included the acquisitions of Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., one of the world’s largest semiconductor companies, SS&C Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of highly specialized proprietary software and related services to the financial services industry, Dunkin’ Brands, Inc., a premier franchisor of quick service restaurant concepts, The Hertz Corporation, the largest worldwide car rental brand, and VNU Group B.V., a leading global information and media company.

About Providence Equity Partners Inc.
Providence Equity Partners Inc. is a global private investment firm specializing in equity investments in media and entertainment, communications and information companies around the world. The principals of Providence Equity manage funds with over $20 billion in equity commitments and have invested in more than 100 companies operating in over 20 countries since the firm’s inception in 1990. Significant investments include SunGard Data Systems Inc., Bresnan Broadband Holdings, LLC , Casema N.V., Com Hem Group, Education Management Corporation, eircom Group plc, Kabel Deutschland GmbH, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., Grupo Corporativo ONO, PanAmSat Corporation, ProSieben-Sat.1 Media AG, Recoletos Grupo de Comunicaci´ on S.A., VoiceStream Wireless Corp., Warner Music Group Corp., Western Wireless Corporation and TDC A/S. Providence Equity is headquartered in Providence, RI and has offices in New York, NY and London, UK.

About Open Solutions Inc.
Open Solutions Inc. offers a fully featured strategic product platform that integrates core data processing applications built on a single centralized Oracle relational database, with Internet banking, cash management, CRM/business intelligence, financial accounting tools, imaging, digital documents, Check 21, interactive voice response, network services, Web hosting and design, and payment and loan origination solutions. Open Solutions’ full suite of products and services allows banks, thrifts, credit unions and financial services providers in the United States and Canada to better compete in today’s aggressive financial services marketplace, and expand and tap their trusted financial relationships, client affinity, community presence and personalized service.

For more information about Open Solutions or its financial product line, contact Mickey Goldwasser by email at mgoldwasser@opensolutions.com by phone at 860.652.3153 or via fax at 860.652.3156. Visit Open Solutions’ Internet site at www.opensolutions.com

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Global Software, Inc., the #1 provider of Microsoft. Excel-based automation and analysis tools to the ORACLE., JD EDWARDS., PEOPLESOFT., LAWSON., SAP., INFINIUM., BPCS., and Jack Henry marketplaces, announced that the Global Software Worldwide Certified Partner Channel has experienced record growth, posting an increase in certified software partner sales by 58 percent in 2006.

During this past year, Global signed certified partners with expertise in the following ERP packages: Oracle, JD Edwards, PeopleSoft, BPCS, Movex/Lawson and Sage, to name a few. These partners became certified on Global's Excel-based automation tools. 2006 saw Global Software expand significantly in its international partner program by adding certified partners in the following countries: Australia, United Kingdom, Spain, South Africa, Canada, and Israel.

Global Software continues to work to identify partners that have pronounced experience with those specific ERPs, with the ambition of building the partner channel exponentially in the future. 

In addition to targeting strategic partners, Global expanded its incentive-based benefits and services available to its Certified Partner Channel community. With a number of new marketing and technical benefits included in the partner program in '06, this partner channel has responded favorably, further contributing to the growth.

The Global Software Certified Partner Channel continues to attract industry leading providers. The goal of the program has been to enable consultants who demonstrate expertise with the before mentioned ERPs, to diversify their offerings and to build their customer base, while simultaneously solving the insufficient usage of Excel experienced by their customers with Global's Excel-based Spreadsheet Server, Executive DASH and Budget Manager applications.

Spencer Kupferman, Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Company Spokesman for Global Software, Inc. stated, "2006 was a year of tremendous accomplishment, commitment, and record achievement for Global's Worldwide Certified Partner Program. While our goal is to continue our partner expansion worldwide, we have been very careful while executing this initiative not to sacrifice our partner-centric philosophy of providing a premium level of service to our valued partners. Unlike other software partner channels, Global's objective is not quantity of partners, but rather accepting, training and developing quality certified partners to represent Global's Excel-based automation product suite."

Learn more about the Global Software Worldwide Certified Partner Program

About Global Software, Inc.

Global Software, Inc., founded in 1973 and headquartered in the Research Triangle Region (Raleigh) of North Carolina, is the #1 provider of Microsoft. Excel-based automation and analysis tools. The Global Data Analytics Suite is comprised of Global's flagship products, Spreadsheet Server and Executive DASH. These flagship products are configured for widely used ERP packages such as BPCS., INFINIUM., MOVEX., ORACLE., JD EDWARDS., PEOPLESOFT., Xperia, Lawson., SAP., and JACK HENRY and run on IBM. iSeries/AS/400., ORACLE., Microsoft. SQL Server and Microsoft. Access DB. Rounding out the suite is Budget Manager and Cost Analyzer. Other Global offerings include: General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Asset Management, Purchase Order, Inventory, Project Accounting, Lease Accounting, School Safety Software, WorkWise. Business Alerts. and the Analyst Suite. Global's leading edge Internet-based financials, known as iGPS and iGFS also add to their diverse suite of offerings. Global Software's products are used in 39 countries; they support over 2,000+ customers, 35,000 users and 4,000+ installations worldwide. In addition to Globals corporate headquarters in Raleigh, NC, Global also has West Coast headquarters in Seattle, WA and EMEA headquarters in London as well as distributors in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Chile, New Zealand, Germany, Switzerland, France, Denmark and Israel. Global Software Inc.'s World Wide Web address is http://www.glbsoft.com.

 

 

For more information contact

Holly Baldwin, Global Software, Inc., 919.865.5402, holly.baldwin@glbsoft.com

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PS Series SAN Supports 10,000 and 20,000 Microsoft Exchange Server Mailboxes in Tests

EqualLogic®, the leading provider of enterprise-class iSCSI storage area network (SAN) solutions, announced the results of test reports that show the performance, efficiency and scalability of the EqualLogic PS Series storage arrays for Microsoft Exchange Server email environments.

The Microsoft Exchange Solution Reviewed Program (ESRP) was developed by Microsoft to provide a common testing framework for storage vendors to provide information about their products’ support of Microsoft Exchange Server software.  EqualLogic has published two reports on Microsoft’s ESRP Web site showing an EqualLogic SAN consisting of PS3800XV storage arrays supporting 10,000 and 20,000 Microsoft Exchange users.

“The ESRP program gives Microsoft Exchange Server users valuable information on the compatibility, scalability and performance of storage systems for the unique demands of Exchange Server workloads,” said Donna Conner, a group product manager at Microsoft Corp.  “The results of EqualLogic’s ESRP testing confirm the capabilities of iSCSI SANs for supporting very large Exchange Server implementations with an efficient number of disks.”

The EqualLogic iSCSI SAN solution tested for supporting 10,000 Exchange Server users consisted of four EqualLogic PS3800XV storage arrays with 64 15,000-rpm Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) disk drives.  The arrays were connected via a Cisco Catalyst switch and the Microsoft iSCSI software initiator to three Windows Server 2003 hosts supporting the 10,000 200-megabyte mailboxes.  The PS Series SAN tested for supporting 20,000 Exchange Server users included eight PS3800XV arrays connected in a similar fashion to five Windows hosts.

Beyond the PS Series’ ESRP test results, EqualLogic customers of all sizes have observed the product’s ability to deliver high performance for critical Microsoft applications, particularly Exchange Server.

Hoover City Schools, the third largest school system in Alabama, enrolls more than 12,000 students and prides itself on providing national-award-winning education programs.  Hoover’s Chief Technology Officer Keith Price led a storage consolidation project that has improved the performance, reliability and data protection for the school district’s IT infrastructure in the tornado-prone region.  “We rely on the EqualLogic SAN to support Exchange Server and database services for more than 1,300 staff and student users.  When we were evaluating various SANs, including Fibre Channel offerings, we required not only great performance for our Microsoft applications, but also the ability to protect our data with advanced disaster recovery options.  EqualLogic met these needs and didn’t require us to send staff to expensive training courses to learn how to use their products.  We were up and running in minutes.”

Safeway Insurance Group operates seven companies delivering affordable insurance to drivers in nine states across the country through a network of 2,400 agents.  Safeway’s Network Services Manager Mike Leather said, “When we consolidated storage onto a SAN, the primary goal was to improve performance for our top-priority Microsoft applications—SQL Server for our insurance database services and Exchange Server for our 450 employees’ email.  As soon as EqualLogic introduced the higher performance storage arrays with SAS disk drives, we evaluated them and immediately deployed them to boost performance in our highly transactional environment.  Standardizing on EqualLogic’s virtualized storage architecture is a no-brainer once you’ve seen the performance it delivers.”

“EqualLogic is committed to providing managers of Microsoft-based IT environments high performance for their Exchange Server mail services, while delivering market-leading ease of use and all-inclusive data protection capabilities,” said Eric Schott, senior director of product management at EqualLogic.  “The ESRP testing highlights the PS Series’ ability to support large, demanding Exchange environments with efficient use of disk resources.”

The ESRP testing continues EqualLogic’s close work and integration with Microsoft.  EqualLogic is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and a Windows Simple SAN Full Solution Partner.  EqualLogic’s iSCSI-based PS Series storage arrays are Windows Hardware Quality Labs qualified and integrate with Microsoft on a variety of levels—the operation system, applications and backup software.

About EqualLogic

EqualLogic^®, Inc., is the leading provider of intelligent, enterprise-class iSCSI storage area network (SAN) solutions that enable businesses – from Fortune 100 to small and mid-size organizations in more than 30 countries worldwide – to realize the benefits of consolidated, self-managing storage.  The EqualLogic PS Series of storage arrays, based on the company's patented peer storage architecture, is the industry's first automatic storage platform that delivers operational simplicity, comprehensive data management services and high data availability in a single, scalable pool of storage.  EqualLogic's headquarters are located in Nashua, New Hampshire. For more information, please visit http://www.equallogic.com.

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In the past year, ISO’s Property Claim Services (PCS) unit identified 33 catastrophe events. Together these events cost insurers an estimated $8.8 billion. PCS also estimates that insurers received 2,272,000 claims for damage to personal and commercial properties and vehicles. Personal lines claims accounted for 58 percent of the total, while commercial lines claims were at 9 percent and vehicle claims at 33 percent.

 The 33 events caused insured property damage in 34 of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Following are the states with the largest losses:

 

State	Loss ($)
Indiana	$1.5 billion
Missouri	$878 million
Tennessee	$873 million
Texas	$688 million
Kansas	$601 million

The catastrophe losses in these states represent half of the total catastrophe losses in the United States for the year.

Losses from catastrophe events declined sharply in 2006 but were nonetheless at their sixth highest level since 1997. The frequency of catastrophe events rose last year to its second highest level in a decade. The following table displays annual insured property damage from catastrophe events and their frequency for the past ten years.

 

Year	Insured Loss ($) — Hurricanes Included	Frequency
1997	$2.6 billion	25
1998	$10.1 billion	37
1999	$8.3 billion	27
2000	$4.6 billion	24
2001	$26.5 billion	20
2002	$5.9 billion	25
2003	$12.9 billion	21
2004	$27.5 billion	22
2005	$61.9 billion	24
2006	$9.0 billion	33
Total	$169.3 billion	258

The 2006 hurricane season produced only one storm of catastrophe proportions, Tropical Storm Ernesto, which caused close to $250 million in insured property damage. 

The National Hurricane Center recently reported that a tropical system that formed in July was not appropriately named as a tropical storm. The storm formed on July 17 approximately 210 nautical miles southeast of Nantucket, Massachusetts. It reached tropical storm strength with winds of 45 miles per hour later that day. It became extratropical the next day. 

With this storm added to the count, the 2006 season included ten storms. Five of them were hurricanes, with two reaching major hurricane status. These numbers reflect the long-term average for tropical systems. 

Third-Quarter Update

PCS originally reported that the estimate for insured property damage related to seven catastrophes in the third quarter tallied $971 million, at the time the third lowest amount for the period in the last ten years. However, PCS employs a resurvey process through which it measures any development of insured damage over time. As a result, the estimate for insured damage during the quarter has risen to a total of $1.251 billion due to an influx of claims.

Even with this updated information, the quarter still ranks as the third lowest in the last decade, following far behind the especially costly hurricane seasons of 2004 and 2005 and the terror attack of 2001. 

Fourth-Quarter Update

The year 2006 ended with six catastrophes identified by PCS in the last quarter. The frequency of events in this quarter tied the six events in 2002 as the most in any fourth quarter since 1998. The estimated insured property damage in this quarter ranks fourth highest since 1998 at $1.19 billion. 

Three of the six events resulted from severe weather, including wind, hail, tornadoes and flooding. Two of the events were classified by PCS as winter storms, since the perils included freezing, snow and ice.

PCS also broke into new territory in the fourth quarter when it assigned a separate serial number for workers compensation claims that can be filed by rescue and recovery workers who toiled at the site of the World Trade Center in 2001.

ISO’s PCS unit defines a catastrophe as an event that causes $25 million or more in insured property losses and affects a significant number of policyholders and insurers.

About PCS

ISO’s Property Claim Services (PCS) unit serves property/casualty insurers and reinsurers as an authoritative source of catastrophe loss information, providing estimates of anticipated industrywide insured losses arising from catastrophes. The estimates reflect the total insurance payment for personal and commercial property items, business interruption, terrorism, workers compensation and additional living expenses. The estimates exclude loss adjustment expenses.

About ISO

ISO is a leading provider of products and services that help measure, manage and reduce risk. ISO provides data, analytics and decision-support solutions to professionals in many fields, including insurance, finance, real estate, health services, government and human resources. Professionals use ISO’s databases and services to classify and evaluate a variety of risks and detect potential fraud. In the United States and around the world, ISO’s services help customers protect people, property and financial assets.

Be sure to visit our interactive website at www.iso.com.

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Getronics, a global leader in workspace management and managed security services, was recently honored with Frost and Sullivan’s Award for Market Penetration Leadership in the Managed Security Services market in North America. The award, presented annually by Frost and Sullivan’s Best Practice Group, recognizes organizations whose growth has evidenced strong business practices in their respective markets.

“Getronics demonstrated strategic excellence in product innovation, marketing strategy, and sales execution that resulted in the largest gain in market share in the past two to three years,” according to Loren Rudd, Frost and Sullivan analyst.

At the core of Getronics’ strategy and success are two simple, well-executed premises:

·         Security services provide their greatest levels of cost avoidance when embedded with network, desktop, storage, server, and applications monitoring and management

·         Security services should be embedded and purchased with existing services from partners that provide bandwidth, hosting, or desktops

“The organic growth in North America for managed security services happened because Getronics’ and RedSiren’s security professionals rallied around a common vision at the onset of acquisition,” said Kevin Roche, executive vice president, Getronics. “Our existing and new clients – as well as our channel partners’ customers – are the true beneficiaries, as they are gaining the benefits of what we call security baked-in, not bolted-on.”

Getronics offers its Security Services both directly and through its channel partners (Qwest, Time Warner, Comcast, Verizon, and Level 3/Broadwing). These services easily integrate with Getronics’ award-winning, cutting-edge solution, the Future-Ready Workspace, a tailored solution for sustaining high-performance user productivity.

To learn more about Frost and Sullivan’s Best Practices Awards go to www.awards.frost.com.

About Getronics

With some 24,000 employees in over 25 countries and approximate revenues of USD $3.1 billion, Getronics is one of the world’s leading providers of workspace management services.

Getronics designs, deploys, and manages flexible and innovative end-to-end solutions, working together with our partners and clients, in order to optimize and increase the productivity of our clients’ mobile knowledge workers.

Getronics headquarters are in Amsterdam, with regional offices in Boston, Madrid, and Singapore. Getronics’ shares are traded on Euronext Amsterdam (“GTN”). For further information about Getronics, visit www.getronics.com/us.

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COSS, a leading software development company serving the financial services market, has announced the details of their upcoming COSSConference.  Momentum will be held at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Florida, May 15-17, 2007. 

Internationally renowned author and speaker, Brian Tracy, will keynote two full days of rich, industry-driven topics, presenting attendees with a wealth of information needed to succeed in today’s every changing market.  A sampling of sessions will include timely discussions on hosting mission critical software, implementing electronic new business applications, uses and acceptable alternatives to e-signatures, and new product trends.  Industry guest speakers will include iPipeline; Lord, Bissell & Brook LLP; Peak 10 Data Center Solutions; eProject; as well as several client led sessions.  

We are excited about this year’s conference on many levels, says Joe Herrmann, COSS President.  “Come celebrate our 20^th year in business, learn about the latest COSS technology, and see what you can do to give your company a competitive sales advantage.”

There are no attendance fees for COSSConference ‘07; however, advance registration is required.  Convenient registration, travel, and accommodation information is available at coss.com

About COSS:

COSS is an employee-owned technology company serving the financial services industry with point-of-sale solutions.  Founded in 1987 with offices in Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Georgia, COSS offers a complete suite of solutions, including product illustrations, electronic forms, hypotheticals, historical illustrations, asset allocation, needs analysis, advanced marketing, wealth distribution planning, and interactive agent training.  COSS provides Web and desktop solutions in both the .NET and J2EE environments.

For more information about COSS, contact:

David J. Ruggerio                       Phone:         800-776-7087

Director of Marketing                  Fax:             704-987-1228

9820 NorthCross Center Court     E-Mail:         daver@coss.com

Huntersville, NC 28078               Web:            www.coss.com

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The disability income insurance area of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) has successfully upgraded to version 3.1 of FJA’s Product Machine.

MassMutual licensed the Product Machine in 2001 to support product modeling of their disability products. In addition to improving MassMutual’s modeling capabilities, this implementation has shortened the time and cost of bringing products to market.

"Our new version of PDFS allows us to develop centralized calculations and rules as well as intuitive product components, reducing the time and complexity to implement new products," said Dave Trono and Rick Martinez, systems consultants for MassMutual.

FJA is a leading software and consulting firm for the financial services sector, with a special focus on product development and insurance. 

For more information this release, please visit the FJA-US website at www.fja-us.com or contact Marc Dutton via phone at 212-840-2618 or via email at marc.dutton@fja-us.com.

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New TowerGroup Research Charts Evolution of Check 21 Adoption Among U.S. Banks

According to new research charting the adoption of Check 21 (The Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act), 2007 will be another significant year in the ongoing "electronification" of paper checks.  TowerGroup expects monthly check image exchange volume to surpass paper check presentment volume by the end of 2007, to become the dominant method of check presentment in 2008

Check 21, which went into effect in late 2004, created a new negotiable instrument known as a substitute check or image replacement document (IRD).  Substitute checks are printed documents containing an image of the original check with data added for identification.  Depositary banks capture an image of a check, transmit the image to a site near the paying bank, and have the image printed and delivered for presentment to the paying bank - offering faster collection of funds from non-local checks, reducing transportation costs, and improving reliability. 

Although Check 21 did not provide for the electronic exchange of check images, banks can agree to exchange electronic image-based cash letters for check presentment.  Exchanging  images of paid checks further reduces a bank's operational costs and speeds the check presentment process.

"Most U.S. banks have now implemented the software and processes to participate in check image exchange," said Robert Hunt, research director in the Retail Banking practice at TowerGroup and author of the research.  "More important, the largest banks have completed limited volume processing and are now ramping up their image exchange transaction volume.  Although factors such as ACH check conversion and electronic bill payment growth will impact the number of checks presented in 2008-09, it is clear that by 2009 paper check presentment volume will be minimal."

Highlights from the findings include:

* Following the introduction of Check 21, US banks concentrated their efforts on reducing check float by using substitute checks and introducing remote deposit products. The use of substitute checks for presentment grew rapidly throughout 2005, as financial institutions added check image capture and image cash letter capabilities.

*  Although image exchange networks were available to facilitate image-based electronic presentments, a number of factors resulted in the bulk of image cash letters being converted to substitute checks rather than presented electronically, including:  the need within many banks for new image-based exception item processing software to support image presentments; a difference in needs and expectations between consumer and commercial accounts; and a lack of definition around the legal liabilities and standards for check image exchange - a task undertaken by the Electronic Check Clearing Association (ECCHO), which developed the rules and check image standards for member banks.

* During 2006, large and midtier banks put the software and processes needed to receive image cash letters in place.  These banks have generally increased the volume of incoming electronic cash letters at a measured pace to ensure the quality of the images received and the accuracy of their procedures.

"We see 2007 as the year of image exchange," said Hunt.  "The growth of image exchange volume will accelerate throughout 2007 as more banks agree to receive image cash letters and those already receiving electronic presentments further increase their volume of incoming images. Exchange volume should exceed conventional check presentation volume in the fourth quarter of the year."

The new TowerGroup report titled "Check 21 in 2007:  The Year of Image Exchange" authored by Hunt is available for review by qualified members of the press.  To request a copy or arrange an interview with Hunt, please contact Rachael Adler at +1.212.455.8037 or radler@cooperkatz.com. 

At TowerGroup, Hunt specializes in core banking and transaction processing systems.

Those interested in subscribing to a TowerGroup research service may call +1.781.292.5200 or email
service-info@towergroup.com.

About TowerGroup:  TowerGroup is the leading research and advisory services firm focused exclusively on the financial services industry.  A respected source for trusted information and advice, TowerGroup brings many of the world's leading financial institutions, technology companies, and professional services firms a deeper understanding of the business and technology issues impacting their organizations.  Headquartered near Boston in Needham, Massachusetts, and with offices in North America and Europe, TowerGroup serves a global client base.  Visit www.towergroup.com for more information.