CKFR Checkfree Corp (MM)

-- Extended services enhance strategic relationship and make CheckFree one of a select group of preferred providers for major Midwest bank. -- ATLANTA, Nov. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CheckFree Corporation (NASDAQ:CKFR) today announced a multi-year contract extension with Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ:FITB) that includes consumer-based electronic bill payment services and corporate payment and reconciliation solutions. Fifth Third leverages solutions from each of CheckFree's core businesses. With the new contract extension, Fifth Third will continue to be a customer of all of CheckFree's divisions, and the financial institution has named CheckFree as one of its strategic, preferred technology providers. The renewed and strengthened relationship with CheckFree provides Fifth Third with a solution provider that can adapt across the enterprise with the changing needs of the bank and its customers. Nearly 30 percent of U.S. consumers now say they pay bills online, the largest share ever recorded in the four years since the American Banker/Gallup Consumer Survey first asked this question (October 2004). By continuing its electronic bill payment service with CheckFree, Fifth Third assures its customers will continue to receive the convenience, control and security they have come to expect. "Fifth Third views our expanded partnership with CheckFree as a strategic business decision to simplify our back end processes through one high-quality provider," said Bruce Hobbs, vice president alternative delivery of Fifth Third Bank. "It was important to us to continue providing our bill payment customers with a high-quality user experience, while maintaining the bottom- line value only CheckFree can bring." Other CheckFree products that Fifth Third uses include: * Compliance software -- CheckFree APECS(TM), CheckFree IRS(TM) and CheckFree RRS(TM) solutions automate required reporting and tracking tasks to minimize regulatory impact in today's changing environment. - CheckFree APECS (Abandoned Property Reporting and Escheatment Compliance System) automates the management, tracking, due diligence and reporting of abandoned property for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. - CheckFree IRS (Information Reporting System) provides organizations with complete, centralized and automated control over all information reporting requirements. - CheckFree RRS (Retirement Reporting System) automates the processing, reporting and distributing functions for retirement plans such as IRA, SIMPLE, ROTH, Education IRA, SEP, Keogh, corporate pension and other qualified plans. * Bank payment software -- CheckFree(R) PEP+(R) and CheckFree ARP/SMS(TM) streamline ACH operations and check reconciliation processes. - CheckFree PEP+ (Paperless Entry Processing) is CheckFree's online, real-time system enabling the origination and receipt of electronic payments through the automated clearing house. - CheckFree ARP/SMS (Account Reconciliation Package/Service Management System) is a fully integrated, online, real-time positive pay and reconcilement system. * Investment services software -- M-Search(R) is the leading database source of institutional money managers for collecting, aggregating and delivering objective data, providing complex calculations used for screening and analyzing investment products, and allowing more flexibility in producing custom presentations. Fifth Third maximizes the value of these services through CheckFree Alliance Services, which dedicates long-term professional service resources for product support and operations management. "Fifth Third continues to demonstrate its commitment to a strategic partnership that strengthens consumer-facing and back-end technologies," said Matt Lewis, executive vice president and general manager of CheckFree's Electronic Commerce Division. "CheckFree looks forward to continuing this important strategic relationship and finding new ways to serve Fifth Third as its needs evolve." About Fifth Third Bank Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Company has $104.6 billion in assets, operates 19 affiliates with 1,105 full-service Banking Centers, including 123 Bank Mart(R) locations open seven days a week inside select grocery stores and 2,003 Jeanie(R) ATMs in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The financial strength of Fifth Third's Ohio and Michigan banks continues to be recognized by rating agencies with deposit ratings of AA- and Aa1 from Standard & Poor's and Moody's, respectively. Additionally, Fifth Third Bancorp continues to maintain among the highest short-term ratings available at A-1+ and Prime-1 and is recognized by Moody's with one of the highest senior debt ratings for any U.S. bank holding company of Aa2. Fifth Third operates four main businesses: Retail, Commercial, Investment Advisors and Fifth Third Processing Solutions. Investor information and press releases can be viewed at http://www.53.com/. Fifth Third's common stock is traded through the Nasdaq(R) National Market System under the symbol "FITB." Member FDIC. About CheckFree (http://www.checkfreecorp.com/) Founded in 1981, CheckFree Corporation (NASDAQ:CKFR) provides financial electronic commerce services and products to organizations around the world. CheckFree Electronic Commerce solutions enable thousands of financial services providers and billers to offer their customers the convenience of receiving and paying their household bills online or in person through retail outlets. CheckFree Investment Services provides a broad range of investment management solutions and outsourced services to thousands of financial services organizations, which manage more than $1.2 trillion in assets. CheckFree Software develops, markets and supports software applications that are used by financial institutions to process more than two thirds of the 12 billion ACH transactions in the United States. The division also provides operational risk management, financial messaging, corporate actions, and regulatory compliance software to more than 1,500 organizations across the globe. Certain of CheckFree's statements in this press release are not purely historical, and as such are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These include statements regarding management's intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations or projections of the future. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, the various risks inherent in CheckFree's business, and other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in CheckFree's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including CheckFree's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2005 (filed September 2, 2005), and Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2005 (filed November 8, 2005). One or more of these factors have affected, and could in the future affect CheckFree's business and financial results in future periods, and could cause actual results to differ materially from plans and projections. There can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements made in this press release will prove to be accurate, and issuance of such forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by CheckFree, or any other person, that the objectives and plans of CheckFree will be achieved. All forward-looking statements made in this press release are based on information presently available to management, and CheckFree assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. DATASOURCE: CheckFree Corporation CONTACT: Media, Judy DeRango Wicks, +1-678-375-1595, or , or Investors, Tina Moore, +1-678-375-1278, or , both of CheckFree Corporation Web site: http://www.53.com/ http://www.checkfreecorp.com/

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