Redstone federal credit union

Business Editors

SAN ANTONIO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 28, 2000

Clarke American Selected as New Check Provider

Clarke American, the fastest growing provider of checks and related products and services, announced that Alabama's largest credit union, Redstone Federal Credit Union located in Huntsville, has selected Clarke American as its new check provider. Clarke American's check portfolio features more than 60 check styles that were designed in Lifestyle categories to better express a member's personal style as well as a complete array of business checks.

Redstone Federal Credit Union with $1 billion in assets has 14 branch offices and 26 ATMs located throughout northern Alabama and southern Tennessee that serve more than 200,000 members. Its membership is diverse ranging from government to military and several other entities.

Linda Baucom, manager of Automated Operations at Redstone, said, "Making the decision to switch our check printer took a lot of time and effort. We knew that the decision would impact our credit union, its staff and mostly our members. To be absolutely certain that we were making the right decision, we formed a 'Search-and-Compare' committee."

Redstone's committee met several times to review the Request for Proposal responses and compare check printers. "Clarke American stood out from the rest of the competition," Baucom continued. "Its commitment to quality was clear, and more importantly, its commitment to service was equal to our own. We wanted a business partner not a vendor."

Brad Wheeless, vice president and general manager Clarke American Credit Union Division, said, "Today credit unions have the opportunity to partner with providers that offer true customer service and treat their members exactly the way they would be treated if they visited the credit union. Having Redstone as one of our newest partners is a great testament to Clarke American's dedication to service and our partnerships with credit unions and their members."

"Converting to a new system is not always easy," Baucom said, "however, any apprehension we had regarding the transition subsided once we began the process. Clarke American's representatives ensured that the conversion was simple. We received thorough training, and that made things much easier for our staff. Clarke American proved that they are not only our check printer, but our true partner."

About Redstone Federal Credit Union

On November 28, 1951, the United States Government granted Redstone Federal Credit Union (RFCU) its charter. Eleven individuals with assets totaling $55 started membership at RFCU. RFCU is now the largest credit union in the state of Alabama and ranks among the top 30 credit unions in the country.

Today, RFCU has more than $1 billion in assets and over 200,000 members. RFCU has 14 branch locations in Huntsville and surrounding areas and more than 25 ATM satellite stations.

For more information contact RFCU's Marketing/Public Relations Department at (256) 722-3421 or (800) 234-1234, ext. 421 or visit its Web site at www.redfcu.org.

About Clarke American

Clarke American Checks, Inc., headquartered in San Antonio, is one of the largest specialty printers of financial institution checks in the United States. Since 1975, Clarke American has been helping credit unions increase member satisfaction, reduce operating costs and gain primary financial institution status. Producing more than 8.5 billion checks per year, Clarke American has an unmatched 99.92 percent printing accuracy rate in the industry. Clarke American's unique services include InTouch(R) Messaging and ServiceLine Plus(SM). InTouch digital printing technology can be used to send a general introduction message about new products and services, announce branch openings or make a targeted offer to a specific member. ServiceLine Plus is a service offered to partnering credit unions, and was developed as part of Clarke American's service innovations to facilitate the check reorder and inquiry process.

For additional information about Clarke American's Credit Union products and services, contact Julie Faulkner, director of marketing at (210) 697-6179, write 10931 Laureate Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78249 or email julie_faulkner@caradon.com. Visit its Internet site at http://creditunion.clarkeamerican.com or www.clarkeamerican.com.