Verizon Working to Continue In-Person Bill Payment Options for Metro New York and New England Customers After Independent Payment Agency Suspended by Regulators

NEW YORK - Verizon is working to establish new in-person bill payment centers after New York regulators today suspended a major provider of this service to Verizon customers at hundreds of locations in New York and New England.

The New York State Banking Department today suspended the license of CashPoint Network Services Inc. for certain performance failures, and Verizon promptly terminated its agreement with the company, which had operated payment agent services in metropolitan New York and New England. CashPoint had operated 300 community-based outlets in New York and 300 more in New England. Customers paying their bills at CashPoint sites would generally pay no more than $1 for the transaction. The company also had operated six Verizon-owned payment facilities in the New York City area, and those will remain closed until a new agent agreement is signed.

In addition, CashPoint also supports payments for other utilities and New York City agencies.

For customers who pay their bills in person, this means that the CashPoint outlets will no longer be able to process Verizon bill payments. Those customers will need to seek alternatives.

"We know this development will cause inconvenience to many customers in New York City and New England," said Joan Simpson, vice president of finance operations for Verizon. "We have a number of viable options for those customers to use over the next several weeks so that they can pay their bills while we establish new payment agent agreements in the area."

Throughout both the New York metropolitan area and New England a number of other stores and agencies can accept telephone bill payments, sometimes for a fee. These convenience fees are always compensation to the vendor and are not paid to Verizon.

In New England, Price Chopper retail outlets in Massachusetts and Vermont are authorized to accept Verizon bill payments. Payments can also be made in person at the Verizon Plus store on 125th Street in Harlem.

Other options for paying bills include:

• Pay by phone. Dial 1-800-345-6563 and follow the prompts to make your payment via a checking account or debit card.

• Register and pay your bill online at www.verizon.com using a credit or debit account and the registration codes that appear at the top of your bill.

• Mail payments by a check or money order to Verizon in the envelope enclosed in the Verizon bill, making sure the payment arrives before the due date on the bill.

Verizon expects to have an agent network restored using a new vendor in a matter of weeks.

A Fortune 20 company, Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services, with approximately $68 billion in annual revenues. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world, as measured by directory titles and circulation. Verizon's international presence includes wireline and wireless communications operations and investments, primarily in the Americas and Europe. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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