First Data Integrates Austin Logistics' New Predictive Analytic EarlyDetection System™ into its World-Class Payment Processing System

First Data Customers Gain Powerful Ability to Accelerate New Credit Card Customer Assessments on the First Day of Account Activity

AUSTIN, TX, and DENVER, CO,- April 7, 2005 - Austin Logistics Inc., a leading provider of analytic software and solutions that predict customer behavior and value, and electronic commerce and payments leader First Data Corp. (NYSE:FDC) have agreed to incorporate Austin Logistics' new predictive analytic EarlyDetection System™ into First Data's credit card processing system. The alliance gives First Data's customers the unique and powerful capacity to reliably predict revenue, varying levels of activation, and fraud/delinquency risk, as early as the first day of account activity.

EarlyDetection System is an analytic software solution that improves early-month-on-books credit card portfolio management by accelerating new account assessments. Traditionally, card issuers waited to make key account management decisions until behavior scores were available - often as long as six months. EarlyDetection System eliminates the credit card industry's vulnerable six-month gap by delivering the strength of a traditional six-month behavior score, as early as day-one of account activity. This powerful capability is delivered through the EarlyDetection System's predictive models and real-time model deployment engine.

The seamless integration of the EarlyDetection System into First Data's processing system gives its customers several benefits that improve access to critical customer data exactly when it can have the greatest impact on a company's profitability. In addition, companies that access the EarlyDetection System through First Data's processing system gain complete access to First Data's extensive range of solutions data. The entire service is deployed through an ASP transaction-based pricing, thereby eliminating the cost of purchasing additional hardware or incurring licensing fees - which also accelerates ROI.

"With EarlyDetection System, First Data's customers gain the ability to predict credit card customers' propensity to activate and grow balances as early as day-one of transactions. As a result, they can take the most profitable actions right away," says Daniel N. Duncan, President of Austin Logistics. "With this capability, companies can proactively expand their relationships with good customers, manage high-risk accounts, and close fraudulent accounts. They gain the power to enter today's challenging, but underserved, non-prime and emerging markets with greater confidence than ever before - gaining a whole new level of revenue growth potential in today's increasingly competitive unsecured credit marketplace."

"Throughout our more than 30 years as the leading provider of card processing services, our clients have relied on First Data to drive change and innovation by offering the right technology, at the right time, for the right use," said Jim Schoedinger, president, First Data Card Issuing Services. "We have often partnered with industry-leading companies to deliver innovative solutions to the market. This collaboration with Austin Logistics demonstrates the value we bring to our clients by combining the strengths of two market leaders."

The strategic advantages that First Data's customers gain by leveraging the EarlyDetection System's capabilities include:

• Moving safely into non-prime and emerging markets. Through continual scoring, customers are assessed early and treated as individuals not groups. As a result, proactive account management can begin after the very first transactions and credit issuers can gain a whole new level of revenue growth potential in today's increasingly competitive unsecured credit marketplace.
• Predicting which accounts will activate and grow balances. Instead of waiting up to six months, companies can immediately begin extending balance- and relationship-building offers such as balance transfers, up-sell, and cross-sell.
• Identifying accounts that need early retention incentives. Accounts at risk for attrition are proactively identified and targeted for retention offers.
• Identifying at-risk accounts. Once found, companies can disseminate early actions and education to support better account management and reduce delinquency.
• Detecting fraudulent accounts on the first transaction. Detection as early as first day of account activity allows credit issuers to take immediate action to mitigate losses.

About First Data
First Data Corp. (NYSE: FDC), with global headquarters in Denver, helps power the global economy. As a leader in electronic commerce and payment services, First Data serves approximately 4.1 million merchant locations, 1,400 card issuers and millions of consumers, making it easy, fast and secure for people and businesses around the world to buy goods and services using virtually any form of payment. With approximately 32,000 employees worldwide, the company provides credit, debit, private-label, smart and stored-value card issuing and merchant transaction processing services; Internet commerce solutions; money transfer services; money orders; and check guarantee and verification services. The STAR Network offers PIN-secured debit acceptance at 1.4 million ATM and retail locations. First Data also offers a variety of payment services to businesses around the world including those in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Panama, Brazil, China, the Netherlands, Greece, the Middle East and Germany. Its Western Union and Orlandi Valuta money transfer networks include approximately 220,000 agent locations in more than 195 countries and territories. Visit www.firstdata.com for more information.

About Austin Logistics Incorporated
Austin Logistics is a leading provider of analytic software and solutions that predict customer value and behavior to drive more profit from every customer interaction-delivering a proven return on investment in six months or less. The company's products and solutions enable its global client base to make proactive, profit-focused decisions that optimize actions in collections, risk/fraud, and customer loyalty applications. Since 1992, Austin Logistics has been trusted by many of the world's largest financial services companies. The company's products and solutions are also available to insurance and telecommunications operations worldwide. For more information, please visit www.AustinLogistics.com.