SAN RAMON, CA, February 05, 2010 – Paybefore has chosen AccountNow's
"Finally Credit Free" Website as a Paybefore Awards Outstanding New Entrant in the
"Best Web Sales" Channel category. Paybefore Awards, now in their fourth year, are the most
prestigious recognition of excellence in the worldwide prepaid and stored value card industry. They
are presented annually by Prepaid Media, whose Paybefore publications are the leading source of
industry information for the global prepaid community.
"We appreciate the recognition, and support in our efforts to address the needs of the growing
population of consumers that are seeking to live free of credit obligations. Providing consumers with
payment services that do not expose them to credit usage is just one of the ways we feel we can address the
needs of the emerging prepaid marketplace." said James G. Jones, Chief Executive Officer of AccountNow.
AccountNow's "Finally Credit Free" Website was selected by a panel of five industry
experts who served as judges for this year's competition, which included a record number of entries
from around the world. This is the first year Paybefore Awards included the distinction of Outstanding New
Entrant, which recognizes programs the judges found particularly valuable, innovative or worthy. The
Paybefore Awards judges bestowed this distinction in only 10 of 16 categories of competition.
"Paybefore applauds the Outstanding New Entrants that are offering innovative prepaid programs
that benefit consumers, governments and businesses," said Marilyn Bochicchio, Paybefore CEO and chair
of the judging panel. "AccountNow was recognized among tough competition for its progressive/effective use
of prepaid products."
AccountNow® launched its "Finally Credit Free" website
(www.finallycreditfree.com) in April 2009, with the primary objective of helping American consumers live
within their means – credit free. With the advent
of the global credit crisis, AccountNow set out to take advantage of the negative publicity associated with
the abuse of credit (both by the banks and the consumers) by offering a product that provides consumers with
access to the payment systems and the ability to pay bills without accessing credit and getting into debt.
More importantly, this new product helps consumers avoid the costs associated with credit – late fees,
overdraft fees and finance charges. With the AccountNow product, there are no such penalties.
AccountNow’s "Finally Credit Free" Website will be honored during the Paybefore Awards
ceremony on Feb. 22 at the Prepaid Expo USA (www.prepaidexpousa.com)
About AccountNow, Inc.
AccountNow, headquartered in San Ramon, California, is a leading provider of financial solutions for
the 40 million US consumers who do not have established credit or traditional banking relationships.
AccountNow's money saving offers give consumers an alternative to traditional checking accounts by providing
access to financial products and payment systems, including MasterCard and Visa prepaid cards, Pay Anyone
Bill Payment, and FDIC-insured deposits. AccountNow's prepaid MasterCard cards are issued by MetaBank:
(NASDAQ NM: CASH) and AccountNow's Prepaid Visa Cards are issued by Palm Desert National Bank. Visit
AccountNow online at www.accountnow.com or
www.accountnowvisa.com. For investor relations, 925.498.1827
About MetaBankTM:
MetaBank is a federally-chartered savings bank regulated by the Office of Thrift Supervision. Meta
Financial Group, Inc.® is the holding company for MetaBank, Meta Payment
Systems®, and Meta Trust Company®. For more information visit
www.bankmeta.com.
About Paybefore:
Paybefore is the leading information provider to prepaid and stored value industry professionals,
offering the latest news, commentary and analysis. Paybefore's family of industry publications
include: Paybefore.comTM, a searchable online information portal; Paybefore
NewsTM, daily news briefs delivered electronically; Paybefore News
InternationalTM, a weekly compilation of prepaid news and events from outside the United
States; Paybefore UpdateTM, a downloadable enewsletter delivered 20 times a year; Paybefore
LegalTM, a downloadable enewsletter covering the legislative, regulatory and judicial
developments in prepaid, as well as feature articles by leading attorneys in the field; Paybefore
MagazineTM, a biannual print publication highlighting the best of Paybefore; and Paybefore
Buyer's GuideTM, available online and in print. Visit us at www.paybefore.com.