PRNewswire
Publication Date 6-28-2000

Wachovia Merchant Services, LINK2GOV Form Alliance to Provide e- Government Solutions to Federal, State and Local Government Agencies

ATLANTA, June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Wachovia Merchant Services and LINK2GOV Corp. have entered into a strategic alliance to provide consumers and businesses with e-government Internet and interactive voice response (IVR) solutions for transacting business with federal, state and local government agencies. Wachovia Merchant Services is a venture between an operating subsidiary of Wachovia Bank, N.A., a subsidiary of Wachovia Corp. (NYSE: WB), and First Data Merchant Services, a subsidiary of First Data Corp. (NYSE: FDC).

This uniquely positioned alliance offers desired solutions for such government-to-consumer (G2C) transactions as motor vehicle registration and driver's license renewals; hunting, fishing and boating licenses; and payments for traffic tickets, utilities and taxes; as well as government-to-business (G2B) transactions, including corporate filings, building permits and professional licenses.

The alliance between Wachovia Merchant Services and LINK2GOV includes Internet and telephone based solutions, product development, systems integration and multi-payment commerce solutions that link federal, state and municipal governments to citizens and businesses.

"We have significant interest from our existing base of government agencies for IVR and Internet solutions," said Jerry Ferlisi, general manager and senior vice president of Wachovia Merchant Services. "Wachovia Merchant Services is impressed with LINK2GOV's ability to help deliver solutions that government agencies are looking for. LINK2GOV has a broad suite of applications, strong management team and demonstrated success in the e-gov marketplace."

Through the new alliance, Wachovia Merchant Services will provide credit card, Internet Check Acceptance, ACH and FlashCash payment options for LINK2GOV contracts in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

Richardson M. Roberts, LINK2GOV president and chief executive officer, said, "We believe this new alliance has a significant opportunity to build on the strengths of each company. LINK2GOV has demonstrated its ability to design, implement and operate sophisticated Internet and IVR systems that improve citizen and business access to government, while lowering costs. In addition to the strong brand names and sales strength of its parent companies, Wachovia Merchant Services will provide the alliance with state-of- the-art payment processing technologies. The Internet is redefining how government interacts with its constituents, and we believe this alliance is positioned to play a leading role in driving this transition."

About Wachovia

Wachovia Corporation (NYSE: WB) is a $68.8 billion asset interstate financial holding company with dual headquarters in Atlanta and Winston-Salem, N.C. Wachovia Bank, N.A. has more than 700 offices and 1,300 ATMs in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Wachovia Bank Card Services is the nation's 12th largest credit card issuer. Wachovia Merchant Services provides business customers with bank card processing services for every major credit or debit card and a full complement of related and supporting services. In 1999, Wachovia Merchant Services served more than 30,000 customer locations and processed $6.5 billion in transaction volume. Wachovia's Web site is located at http://www.wachovia.com.

About First Data

Atlanta-based First Data Corp. (NYSE: FDC) helps move the world's money. As the leader in electronic commerce and payment services, First Data serves more than two million merchant locations, 1,400 card issuers and millions of consumers, making it easier, faster and more secure for people and businesses to buy goods and services using virtually any form of payment. With more than 30,000 employees worldwide, the company provides credit, debit and stored-value card issuing and merchant transaction processing services; Internet commerce solutions; money transfers and money orders; and check processing and verification services throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico, Spain and Germany. In addition, its Western Union(R) network includes approximately 86,000 agent locations with operations in 178 countries and territories. For more information, please visit the company's Web site at http:// www.firstdatacorp.com.