ATLANTA, Feb. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- BUYPASS Corporation, a major third-party
POS processor and leading debit transaction acquirer, reported record
transaction growth in 1997, processing over 1 billion transactions which
represented a 3l% increase over l996 total volumes.  The previous year's
growth was 22%.  Contributing to the strong growth in 1997 were POS debit and
electronic benefits transfer (EBT) volumes, which remain the fastest growing
categories at BUYPASS -- these categories grew 87% and 76% respectively over
fourth quarter 1996 volumes.  The fourth quarter, which is typically the
highest volume quarter for POS processors due to the holiday shopping season,
produced a total processing volume of over 280 million transactions, 33.5%
higher than fourth quarter 1996.
    BUYPASS overall client satisfaction ratings have held at 92% for the past
three quarters.  Opinion Research Corporation International conducts quarterly
satisfaction surveys for BUYPASS.  "Over the past two years, BUYPASS has
focused on listening to and meeting our clients' expectations," said Ruth Ann
Marshall, executive vice president and group executive, Electronic Payment
Services, Inc. (EPS).  "This sustained high satisfaction rate is the direct
result of that focus.  We are committed to maintaining the high service levels
our customers have come to expect," Marshall said.
    Other BUYPASS highlights for the fourth quarter included:
    -- PMT Services, Inc. signed one of 11 new contracts in the fourth
quarter, and Pathmark Stores Inc. was one of four retailers who renewed their
contracts with BUYPASS in the fourth quarter.
    -- BUYPASS began processing electronic benefits transfer (EBT)
transactions for San Bernadino County, California in the fourth quarter to
total 25 EBT states.  BUYPASS is the leading third-party EBT processor in the
United States.
    BUYPASS Corporation, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is a major
third-party POS processor and debit transaction acquirer with annual
transaction volume of over 1 billion.  BUYPASS provides processing for 50 of
the top 200 grocery store chains in the United States.  One out of every ten
debit POS transactions performed in the United States is processed by BUYPASS.
BUYPASS currently has electronic benefits transfer (EBT) programs in 26 states
and provides gateway access to over 50 credit, debit and EBTgateways.
    Electronic Payment Services, Inc. (EPS), a privately held company
headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, is a leading electronic funds transfer
(EFT) processor in the United States, with approximately 2.3 billion
transactions annually.  EPS is the holding company for BUYPASS Corporation and
M0NEY ACCESS SERVICE INC.

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