The new alliance allows BISYS to incorporate Carreker's consulting expertise into its already comprehensive offering of check imaging solutions.

"The transition from paper to electronic payments is a marathon, not a sprint, and most banks are just approaching the starting line," said Steve Hill, managing director of Carreker's Global Payments Consulting. "Financial institutions want to both cultivate the opportunities and manage the challenges that arise during this migration. Our expertise is in helping financial institutions plan their adoption of new technologies and effectively leverage their investment for long-term gains in efficiency, profitability, and customer service."

With more than 25 years of financial industry experience, Carreker specializes in measured analysis, planning, and strategic discipline encompassing an entire enterprise. The company uses advanced proprietary modeling tools to create a virtual payments P&L for banks. Impact assessments are conducted and modeled to discover potential shortfalls relative to desired revenue and profit levels. Under each modeling scenario, Carreker identifies which business lines or products are providing growth or eroding it. The result is a financial baseline from which sound business decisions can be made.

"As a strong, tenured player in the financial services industry, Carreker's resources and experience complement our own," said BISYS Document Solutions' Executive Vice President and general manager Mark Ryan. "Combining our strengths with Carreker's extensive knowledge of payment-related matters will greatly benefit our clients, enabling them to take advantage of the industry's most successful imaging solution and the analytical planning tools they need to maximize the opportunities enabled by Check 21 and future industry developments."

Both BISYS and Carreker offer solutions that are endorsed by the American Bankers Association (ABA), through its subsidiary the Corporation for American Banking (CAB). Carreker offers additional services, including:

• Payment Planning: Creating multiple views for maximum returns
• Distributed Capture Planning: A new mix of geography, products, and investments
• Unit Cost Management: Executing a controlled program
• Image Exchange: Planning, partners, and platforms
• Optimized Clearing Scenarios: Managing through continuous change
• Strategy Execution and Support

J.D. (Denny) Carreker, Carreker chairman and CEO, reported, "We are pleased BISYS chose Carreker's Global Payments Consulting group for this important service. While many companies offer technology and consultancy services in the financial services industry, we pride ourselves on being the foremost thought leaders, experts, and educational providers in the payments space and related image disciplines. BISYS recognizes our commitment, and we are excited about the business opportunities our strategic alliance affords BISYS' valued client base."