SAN RAMON, CA, September 15, 2009 – PNB Remittance Centers, Inc. (PNBRCI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Philippine National Bank, the trusted source for millions of Filipinos sending money and packages to loved ones, and AccountNow, the innovative award-winning prepaid card marketer, today announced an agreement to launch a new Visa-branded prepaid card that will be available at all PNBRCI US locations in October. Additionally, PNBRCI will convert 20,000 existing loyalty card membership customers to the new VISA prepaid card that will offer special benefits and discounts to card members.
The PNB branded AccountNow Prepaid Visa card, which will participate in the Visa ReadyLink, Interlink, and Plus networks provides a powerful new financial tool for PNBRCI customers. The card comes packed with valuable features like FDIC insured deposits, free direct deposit for payroll and benefit payments, free bill payment with credit builder, high balance limits, easy to use online and SMS account management tools, prepaid mobile refill minutes and the worldwide acceptance of VISA.
“This card is the perfect alternative to a traditional bank account and there are no credit checks, minimum account balance requirements, late fees or over-draft fees. Our customers are never blindsided with ridiculous bounced check fees that some banks charge,” said Matt Montes, Founder and Head of Strategic Marketing Initiatives of AccountNow.
Montes added, “PNB Remittance Centers is a global leader and trusted source to Filipinos world-wide. PNBRCI is an extremely caring company and takes great strides in providing excellent customer service and value to its customers. This partnership fits perfectly with AccountNow’s strategy to work with the world’s best organizations that share our philosophy of providing services that truly benefit its customers.”
Manuel Arnaldo, SVP, and Chief Operation Officer of PNBRCI, said: “We searched for the right card partner for quite some time before selecting AccountNow. It was very important to us that we find a partner that would work with us to provide a truly valuable card for our customers and one that shared our strong belief of integrity, courtesy and hospitality that is essential to the Filipino culture, in AccountNow we believe we have found the perfect partner.”
The PNB branded AccountNow Prepaid Visa Card is issued by Palm Desert National Bank pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc.
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. For investor relations, 925.498.1827
About PNBRCI
Established in 1990 as a service oriented organization catering to the Filipino community in the USA as a money transfer company. Thriving on a reputation of quality and commitment, PNBRCI has grown to become the number one name in remittances to the Philippines, with branches in most of the United States and Canada. Visit PNBRCI online at www.pnbrci.com.