CKFR Checkfree Corp (MM)

CheckFree Launches New Certified STP Partner Programme and Signs Linedata Services ATLANTA and LONDON, May 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CheckFree Software, a division of CheckFree Corporation , today announced the launch of its new Certified STP Partner (CSTP) programme. The Certified STP partner programme has been designed to enable vendors to quickly integrate their applications with the SWIFTReady Gold CheckFree TradeFlow TPM(TM) and CheckFree MessageBroker(TM) financial messaging and workflow solutions. This in turn will lead to a broader selection of globally enabled straight through processing applications and more stable platforms, thus benefiting the industry as a whole. The programme is available to vendors offering complementary solutions in the securities industry. The certification process includes connectivity testing and verification of messaging protocols by CheckFree to ensure the certified partner's application can successfully interface with CheckFree's solution. CFACS-certified STP partners will benefit from partner programme support including: * Verification of SWIFT and other messaging protocols * Baseline compatibility and the metadata integration of partner applications with CheckFree TradeFlow TPM and CheckFree MessageBroker * Co-marketing incentives such as trade show visibility as a CFACS partner and a CSTP programme emblem for marketing purposes * Access to CheckFree's expert technical support, ongoing maintenance and the assistance of a professional services team that is able to analyse the impact of system upgrades, improvements or new features, and apply integration expertise as a SWIFTReady Gold market leader The CSTP programme will advance the industry by giving securities firms who adopt CheckFree solutions and certified partner solutions confidence that their technology choices will yield an effective, compatible STP infrastructure. Linedata Services first to join CSTP CheckFree's first certified partner in the CSTP programme is Linedata Services (LDS), a leading global supplier of financial services software solutions. Within two weeks of joining the programme, CheckFree and Linedata produced a successful proof-of-concept, interfacing LDS' Icon back-office system with CheckFree MessageBroker, a component of TradeFlow TPM. The result is a broader connectivity gateway for Icon users via SWIFT and other international messaging standards. Says Peter Hudson, Head of Product Marketing at LDS(UK): "The CSTP program enabled us to quickly prove the compatibility of our two best-of-breed solutions. This joint solution now gives our Icon customers global reach through MessageBroker, opening up new markets and providing a seamless, de-risked STP production environment." About Linedata Services Linedata Services is a leading, global supplier of financial services software, offering best-of-breed solutions for asset management, credit finance and insurance and savings. Linedata's products are used in over 50 countries and by more than 350 of the world's leading financial firms. Our suite of asset management products truly offers a full front to back office solution. Linedata Services' Icon product is a complete back-office fund management and administration solution, designed to manage and account for securities and currencies in all types of funds and for all sizes of institution. Icon's 'all-in-one' functionality spans real-time investment accounting, portfolio valuation, collective investment pricing and management/client reporting. Icon can be deployed by customers in a number of ways depending on the degree of control and, particularly, Icon administration they are comfortable with - fully In-House, Facilities Managed and ASP. About CheckFree ( http://www.checkfreecorp.com/ ) CheckFree (NASDAQ:CKFR) is the leading provider of financial electronic commerce services and products. Founded in 1981 and celebrating its 23rd year in e-commerce, CheckFree is comprised of three divisions: Electronic Commerce, Software, and Investment Services. CheckFree launched the first fully integrated electronic billing and payment solution in 1997. In the quarter ended March 31, 2004, more than 13 million consumers initiated online payments through services offered by CheckFree's Electronic Commerce division. Electronic billing and payment is available through more than a thousand financial services organizations, including banks, brokerage firms, Internet portals and personal financial management (PFM) software. At these sites, consumers are able to electronically receive and pay essentially all the bills most common to a U.S. household. CheckFree delivers 22.5 million e-bills each quarter. CheckFree Investment Services provides a broad range of investment management services to thousands of financial institutions nationwide. The division's clients manage nearly 1.5 million portfolios totaling more than $900 billion in assets. CheckFree's Software division provides solutions through three operating units: CheckFree ACH Solutions, CheckFree Financial and Compliance Solutions (CFACS), and CheckFree i-Solutions. CheckFree ACH Solutions provides software and services that are used to process more than two-thirds of the nation's nine billion Automated Clearing House payments, while CFACS provides reconciliation, financial messaging, workflow and compliance software and services to more than 600 organizations in the banking, brokerage, investment management, insurance and credit card industries, among others. CheckFree i-Solutions is the leading provider of e- billing and e-statement software and services for both business-to-consumer and business-to-business applications. 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, including statements in this document regarding forecasts and expectations of revenue and earnings per share for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2004 (paragraphs 4 and 5). 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, 2003 (filed September 15, 2003), Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2003 (filed November 13, 2003), Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 31, 2003 (filed February 12, 2004), and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2004 (filed May 13, 2004). 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 relations, Judy DeRango Wicks, +1-678-375-1595, or , or Investor relations, Tina Moore, +1-678-375-1278, or , both of CheckFree Corporation Web site: http://www.checkfreecorp.com/ Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/821650.html

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