CLINTON, Miss, August 14, 2001--WorldCom (NASDAQ: WCOM), the
leading global business data and Internet communications provider,
today announced that Providian Financial Corporation (NYSE: PVN), the
fifth largest bankcard provider in the United States with more than 17
million customers, has selected WorldCom to provide custom Web hosting
services for Providian's corporate Web site.
After record growth, including nearly four million new customer
accounts in 2000, Providian recognized an immediate need for a
high-performance Web hosting solution that could support the
company's growing online business presence. WorldCom is filling
Providian's requirements for a reliable, flexible, scalable and
highly secure Web site to process online transactions, present sales
information and provide customer support.
"Achieving 100 percent customer satisfaction is our number one
goal at Providian," said Tanni Graichen, executive vice president
integrated card business technology at Providian Financial. "The
Internet is a critical channel for our customers and business overall.
Our internal and external customer expectations are extremely high. The
challenge was to exceed those expectations by providing fast, reliable,
and secure Internet services, 24x7. We selected WorldCom because
it's a leading provider of Web hosting services that embodies our
key values of excellence, innovation, adaptability and
reliability."
Leveraging Digex capabilities, WorldCom's hosting service allows
Providian's customers real-time, 24x7 access to confidential
account information and secure online sales and transactions, such as
opening certificates of deposits (CDs) and money market deposit
accounts (MMDAs). WorldCom will host, and provide managed services, for
a number of Providian's Web sites.
"Like Providian, WorldCom knows customer satisfaction is
critical," said Ron McMurtrie, vice president of WorldCom
E-Services. "By relying on WorldCom to manage its highly complex
Web site, Providian can stay focused on operating its core business.
We're helping Providian harness the business power and customer
reach of the Internet to maintain its leadership position in the
financial services market."
WorldCom offers Web hosting services to meet every customer's
need, from Web server colocation to shared, dedicated and custom
managed hosting services. WorldCom's suite of global Web hosting
services run over the company's award-winning global IP network,
from the company's state-of-the-art data centers located throughout
the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. Web hosting services are
part of the full continuum of advanced digital data communications
products and services WorldCom provides to business customers of all
sizes around the world.
About Providian Financial
Winner of the 2001 Rochester Institute of Technology/USA Today Quality
Cup for excellence in customer service, San Francisco-based Providian
Financial (www.providian.com) is a leading provider of lending and
deposit products to customers throughout the U.S., and offers credit
cards and deposit products in the UK and in Argentina. Providian
Financial has been named one of America's Most Admired Companies in
a survey by Fortune magazine, one of the nation's top financial
institutions by U.S. Banker magazine, and one of the most
technologically innovative companies in the U.S. by InformationWeek
magazine. The Company has more than $33 billion in assets under
management and over 17 million customer accounts.
About WorldCom Group
The WorldCom Group (NASDAQ: WCOM) is a preeminent global communications
provider for the digital generation, operating in more than 65
countries and generating annualized revenues of more than $20 billion.
WorldCom provides the innovative technologies and services that are the
foundation for business in the 21st century. For more information go to
http://www.worldcom.com.
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