CHARLOTTE – Just a decade ago, it was commonplace for consumers to pay their monthly bills – such as utilities, insurance, mortgage, and credit card payments – by personal check, with a postage stamp attached to the envelope. And it was not usual for some customers to make those payments in person at their bank or utility company each month, often with cold, green cash.

Today, it’s not only grocery store customers chosing plastic over paper. According to a recent research study by PayStream Advisors, Inc. (paystreamadvisors.com), consumers preferred the convenience and control of electronic transactions over check and cash payments for the first time in 2006.

This paradigm shift has created a whole new landscape of challenges and opportunities for billers who now must make new payment options available to their customers. While businesses are trying to figure out which – and how many – electronic options to offer their customers, they should be pleased to learn that improved payment offerings can actually result in getting paid faster with less cost, according to PayStream research.

Learn how your business can meet customer expectations AND gain a competitive edge through Consumer Payments Automation at an upcoming Vendor Roundtable Webinar, produced by PayStream Advisors. The free session, Consumer Payments Automation: A comprehensive picture of trends altering the payment landscape, will be held March 21, 2007, from 2-3 p.m. EST.

Participants will learn about Consumer Payments Automation (CPA), what technology solutions are available in the marketplace, how to select payment channels, and how payment automation can help improve consumer payment collections. Six leading CPA vendors – CheckFree Corporation, ClearTran, EDS, Fort Knox National Company, KUBRA and Online Resources Corporation – will answer questions and offer insights into this new world of consumer payments.

All webinar participants will also receive a free copy of Consumer Payments Automation: A Buyer’s Guide to Electronic Payments Solutions. Targeted to financial managers who want to explore opportunities to improve consumer billing and payments, the report provides a comprehensive picture of trends altering the payment landscape. The 70-page report also features profiles of the six CPA vendors participating in the roundtable.

To register for the webinar, call 704-523-7357 X223 or visit https://paystreamadvisors.com/content.cfm?id=441.

To obtain a free copy of the Consumer Payments Automation Buyer’s Guide, visit

paystreamadvisors.com/store/details.cfm?id=134.

PayStream Advisors delivers unbiased, third-party market trend information, assessments of financial automation technology and innovative ideas to business leaders in consumer billing, finance and treasury, accounts receivable and accounts payable. Call 704-523-7357 or visit paystreamadvisors.com for more information.

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Contact:

Meredith Wiggs, Marketing Manager

PayStream Advisors, Inc.

704-523-7357 x223