09.07.05 | Checkgateway Signs Referral Deal with TRANSFIRST

Phoenix, Ariz. –September 7, 2005 -- Checkgateway, a leading provider of electronic payment services and innovator in the Automated Clearing House (ACH) payment processing industry, announced today it has signed an agreement with TRANSFIRST, a leading provider of transaction processing services and payment enabling technologies, that will provide card processing services to Checkgateway clients through TRANSFIRST. Checkgateway will begin referring merchants to TRANSFIRST’s ePayment Services division, located in Omaha, Neb. immediately.

Checkgateway selected TRANSFIRST based on its product portfolio and experience within the electronic payments industry. “We are very pleased to be working with TRANSFIRST,” says John Kirchhefer, president of Checkgateway. “Launching our credit card service with this association with TRANSFIRST, a leader in this industry, is the best means to meet the unique needs of our clients.”

“This relationship enables us to offer our comprehensive suite of transaction processing products and services to all Checkgateway clients,” says Bruce Froendt, president of TRANSFIRST’s ePayment Services division. “By aligning our services and technologies with Checkgateway’s existing e-check product offerings, we are able to provide their customers with additional opportunities to gain a competitive edge and increase their market share.”

About TRANSFIRST
A premier provider of transaction processing services and payment enabling technologies, TRANSFIRST offers a first-rate suite of products and services and customized processing programs uniquely tailored for the special business needs of financial institutions, independent sales organizations and agents and its referral and reseller partners. Through its in-depth industry knowledge, partnership strategy and innovative solutions, TRANSFIRST provides a specialized approach to transaction processing for healthcare providers, public entities, online and other non-traditional merchants, as well as brick and mortar retailers. Founded in 1995, TRANSFIRST is a market leader in strategic mergers and acquisitions, which has allowed the company to gain significant market share and world-class expertise in growing and profitable industry segments. Built on a platform of personal service, customer commitment and flexible pricing, TRANSFIRST is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has operations facilities in Louisville, Colo., Omaha, Neb., Kansas City, Kan., Newport Beach, Calif., Milwaukee, Wis. and Langhorne, Penn. Company wide, TRANSFIRST currently processes approximately $20 billion in annual sales volume for more than 160,000 merchants and more than 760 financial institutions. TRANSFIRST can be reached at 1-800-541-9800 or at www.TRANSFIRST.com.

About Checkgateway
Checkgateway, a leader and innovator in the Automated Clearing House (ACH) payment processing industry, has been an ACH service bureau since 1993. Checkgateway is an affiliate member of the National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA), an organization charged with making operational rules for the ACH network. Checkgateway is one of the only ACH processors using Experian’s eSeries Authentication Solution, which it has been using since 2002, to verify the identity of electronic check holders and StarChek, a network of First Data Corp, which Checkgateway has been using since 2001, enables both physical and virtual retailers to route check verifications, online via the STAR Network, to the Primary Payment Systems, Inc. (PPS) databases and determine - in real time - whether a check is likely to be returned. The company is based in Phoenix, Arizona. For more information contact 480-785-2262 see www.checkgateway.com.