ATLANTA, July 27, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Harland has launched a suite of small business checking products designed to help banks and credit unions better serve the small office, home office (SOHO) or micro-business customer who is "on the go."
"We estimate that 40% of micro businesses manage their business with a personal wallet check," reports Gwen Cuffie, vice president of business marketing for Harland Printed Products. "These new products are just as portable and convenient as a wallet check, but carry features desired for tracking business transactions."
Harland's new personal-size business products, including the Venture and the Proprietor, support small businesses that require compact or portable business products for out-of-office and mobile transactions. Adding portable business products to Harland's popular business Value Groups adds appeal to start-up and home-based businesses by simplifying check ordering and saving time and money.
There is a marketing benefit for banks and credit unions. SOHOs and micro businesses are hard to distinguish from regular personal checking accounts. However, if the customer chooses a portable business product, this enables targeted business messaging. Harland offers a number of direct marketing and referral services specifically aimed at expanding financial institutions' relationships with their small business clients.
To complement the new product offering, Harland has streamlined its marketing materials and check catalogs to increase efficiency among financial institution employees and to make the selection process easier and more enjoyable for customers. Collectively, the enhancements deliver greater value to clients through increased customer satisfaction and reduced operational costs, and they help protect financial institutions' revenue from the direct check marketers.
"Our goal at Harland is to continually develop products that meet the needs of small business and increase the profitability of financial institutions," said Steve Albright, senior vice president of marketing. "Checks are an important small business touch point, and we are committed to investing in our core checks business to optimize check program performance for our clients."
About Harland
Atlanta-based John H. Harland Company (www.harland.net) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "JH." Harland is a leading provider of software and printed products to the financial institution market. Harland Financial Solutions (www.harlandfinancialsolutions.com), a wholly owned subsidiary, provides software solutions including loan origination software, database marketing, host processing and mortgage services. Harland's printed products offerings include checks, direct marketing and financial forms. Scantron Corporation (www.scantron.com), a wholly owned subsidiary, is a leading provider of software services and systems for the collection, management and interpretation of data to the financial, commercial and educational markets.
This press release contains statements, which may constitute "forward-looking statements." These statements include statements regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of John H. Harland Company and members of its respective management, as well as the assumptions on which such statements are based. Prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties and that actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. Reference is made to the Risk Factors and Cautionary Statements in Harland's Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filed under the Securities Exchange Act.