Bell Atlantic's ISDN Pays Off for HONOR

Bell Atlantic's ISDN Pays Off for HONOR

Data Links Help HONOR Provide ATM Services in the Mid-Atlantic

April 13, 1998

NEW YORK, NY - Customers who bank at automated teller machines (ATMs)
served by the HONOR Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) network can count
on reliable, fast service thanks to telecommunications technology.
The nation's largest regional EFT company on the basis of both network
ATMs and total membership has turned to Bell Atlantic, the country's
leading provider of Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
services, to support HONOR's growing ATM driving services.

HONOR recently awarded Bell Atlantic Network Services, Inc. a contract
to install ISDN lines to 275 ATM terminals in the mid-Atlantic U.S.
region. HONOR's ATM support services help financial institutions
launch, maintain, and expand their EFT programs.

"We selected Bell Atlantic's ISDN because of increased network
manageability it affords," said Tom McHugh, executive vice president
of Information Services, HONOR. "This gives us a very reliable
service that we need in providing high quality, cost effective ATM
service to our financial institutions and cardholders."

HONOR is using Bell Atlantic's ISDN "D-channel" packet services for
low bandwidth ATM data transmissions. Benefits include:

• Cost efficiency. ISDN D-channel connections are a low cost option
  for ATM transaction services. The cost of other telecommunication
  services for carrying ATM transactions can run up to three times more
  than Bell Atlantic's ISDN D-channel package.

• Easy to manage. Using the ISDN D-channel packet service, network
  providers are better able to manage the ATM networks.

• Reliable. If one local ATM service is temporarily down, another
  nearby ATM will not be affected, as can happen with other
  technologies.

• Reduces transaction time. As compared with other services available
  for providing ATM transactions, such as analog leased lines, ISDN
  transmission shortens the consumer's waiting time for ATM transactions
  to complete.

ATM Market - Rapid ATM Network Growth Expected to Continue

"In 1996, Americans made approximately 10.7 billion financial
transactions at over 150,000 ATM machines," said Richard Milliron,
market manager-financial services, Bell Atlantic. "That number is
expected to grow as more customers take advantage of ATMs, the number
of available ATM service options expand, and ATMs are placed in remote
locations. As usage grows, banks and their transaction service
networks are searching for ways to reduce operating costs to maintain
profitability while providing top quality customer service."

Bell Atlantic is the leading provider of ISDN in the country, having
deployed more than 430,000 ISDN lines throughout its region. Bell
Atlantic's ISDN provides both homes and businesses with applications
ranging from real-time collaboration for dispersed work teams and
telecommuters to personal videoconferencing. ISDN BRI provides speeds
up to 128 kilobits.

HONOR serves more than 45 million cardholders and 2,720 financial
institutions with more than 35,000 ATMs and 400,000 merchant Point of
Sale terminals. HONOR processes more than 90 million transactions per
month, and offers a variety of EFT services such as Visa® Check and
MasterMoney^TM processing, ATM driving, card production, home banking,
and Internet® Services.

The new Bell Atlantic - formed through the merger of Bell Atlantic and
NYNEX - is at the forefront of the new communications, information and
entertainment industry. With 40 million telephone access lines and
5.8 million wireless customers worldwide, Bell Atlantic companies are
premier providers of advanced wireline voice and data services, market
leaders in wireless services and the world's largest publishers of
directory information. Bell Atlantic companies are also among the
world's largest investors in high-growth global communications
markets, with operations and investments in 21 countries.

HONOR is headquartered in Maitland, Fla. and serves members across the
United States, with primary operations in Alabama, Arkansas,
Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, New Mexico,
Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West
Virginia, and Washington, D.C. In addition to its Maitland
headquarters, HONOR has offices in Albuquerque, N.M.; Orlando, Fla.;
Birmingham, Ala.; Columbia, S.C.; Little Rock, Ark.; Reston, Va.; St.
Louis, Mo.; and Wichita, Kan.