Award Recognizes Best Use of a Network Branded Prepaid Card
SAN RAMON, CA, March 6, 2007 – AccountNow, Inc. (www.accountnow.net), a leading provider of financial products and services solutions for the millions of Americans who do not have traditional banking services and who are otherwise shut off from day-to-day commerce, was honored as a finalist in the category of Best Unbanked and Underserved Program as part of the Prepaid Card Awards during a special dinner ceremony at the 2007 Prepaid Card Expo in Las Vegas. The annual awards program recognizes best-in-class noteworthy professionals, organizations, and programs throughout the prepaid card industry.
AccountNow was nominated for the award by Shailesh Mehta, former chairman and CEO of Providian Financial Corporation, and current AccountNow board member.
"We are very pleased to have been honored as the Best Unbanked and Underserved Program as part of the first annual Prepaid Card Awards," said Tim Coltrell, CEO of AccountNow. "This is a validation of our strategy which, from its inception, focused on the millions of good people in the unbanked and underserved market."
By serving as a "bank account you carry in your pocket", AccountNow's Visa®- and MasterCard®-branded prepaid cards provide millions of consumers who do not have traditional banking or checking accounts additional choices for making purchases and paying bills with the convenience and safety of FDIC deposit insurance, electronic payments, financial education and an innovative tool to help building a new credit history.
Privately-held AccountNow is funded by INVESCO Private Capital, Oak Hill Venture Partners, VSP Capital and Grayhawk Venture Partners. AccountNow’s Visa and MasterCard-branded prepaid cards are issued by MetaBank (NASDAQ: CASH) and Palm Desert National Bank (PDNB).
About Prepaid Media
Prepaid Media provides a host of business-to-business media and information services
to the rapidly growing network branded prepaid and stored value card industry.
Prepaid Media's properties include the Paybefore online portal, Paybefore Update
electronic newsletter, and Prepaid Card Report (PCR) print publication, the leading
information sources for the prepaid and stored value card markets. Prepaid Media
also owns and produces the Prepaid Buyers Guide, Prepaid Card Data, and Prepaid
Card Awards, all of which are incorporated across its various media properties.
As the prepaid and stored value card industry continues to evolve, Prepaid Media
serves as a trusted partner, providing compelling learning, buying and selling,
and networking opportunities to key market participants. For more information on
Prepaid Media, please visit: www.prepaidmedia.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 Meta Payment Systems
Meta Payment Systems, a division of MetaBank, offers card issuing and program support to banks, processors, and third-party distributors seeking to develop, market and manage stored-value cards. Meta Financial Group, Inc. (: NASDAQ NM : CASH ) is the holding company for MetaBank. For more information, call 605.782.1712, or visit
http://www.metacash.com.
About Palm Desert National Bank
Palm Desert National Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of Palm Desert Investments. An active corporate citizen in its community, PDNB has been serving the Coachella Valley for over 25 years, with branch offices in La Quinta, Palm Desert, and Rancho Mirage. PDNB is a nationally chartered financial institution with assets exceeding $400 million, and is home to Electronic Banking Solutions, an acknowledged industry leader that provides a variety of electronic banking solutions including vault cash, and cash management to off premise ATMs and self service kiosks, merchant point of sale sponsorship, and stored value prepaid card programs throughout the nation. For more information, log on to
http://www.pdnb.com.