Key Dates

August 1
Visa Join the Journey TORINO 2006 Olympic Winter Games promotion begins.

August 4
Order forms for Visa Instant Rewards promotional materials due to OneBridge.

August 10
Point2Point Rewards Webinar from 3pm-4pm Eastern.
Click here to register!

August 17
Scheduled downtime (1 hour) for Gateway Navigator upgrade at 7:00 pm Eastern (authorizations will not be impacted). 

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Quick Fact

Most men age 25-34 prefer cash back in a card rewards program, while most women prefer points redeemable for travel and merchandise. However, among men age 18-24, the most appealing incentive is receiving points, while women that age prefer an initial sign-up bonus such as a rebate or coupon. Among all cardholders, 22% find earning points for merchandise/airline tickets as the most appealing when selecting a credit card, while 21% want money-back.

- cardweb.com

Dear Client,

As you may know, I spent most of my 25 years in business helping companies measure customer satisfaction and other components of a successful organization (employee commitment, corporate reputation, business ethics, etc.). One of the areas for improvement that I routinely uncovered was in communication.

When I joined OneBridge almost two years ago, I shared with the team and our clients one of my pearls of wisdom - "Communication is key and must be two-way." From the feedback we have received at our in-person partner reviews, it sounds like we are moving our communications in the right direction. This is something we will continue to strengthen every day.

To that end, I wanted to share with you that as we move forward, you will be seeing and hearing more references to our OneBridge Gateway processing system, which is the system you currently use. We serve as your gateway to the Visa network, and we want to highlight that as much as we can. Additionally, the user interface to this system will now be referred to as the OneBridge Gateway Navigator.

So what's the big deal about this naming refinement? In thinking about the needs of our current and future clients, it is important for us to consider our possible growth potential in a variety of card-related areas, including ATM/online debit, merchant processing, and consulting. As we develop these or other product offerings, we want to introduce product names that communicate clearly and simply what they are. Our primary emphasis in naming is to develop brand equity in the name, OneBridge. 

What I hope you take away from this is not that OneBridge's president with a background in marketing is working overtime to fine-tune product names. I hope you view this small step as a big reflection of our intent to grow by providing even greater value to current and future clients through additional product and service offerings. 

As always, thank you for being a OneBridge customer!

Kim Graham Lee
President

OneBridge Dispute Agent to be Released Fourth Quarter

Dispute Agent, our automated dispute management tool, is scheduled to be released by the end of 2005. Designed to simplify the dispute resolution process, Dispute Agent's built-in knowledge will help institutions manage chargeback and copy request processing and will provide electronic document exchange to eliminate paper-based, manual tracking. Stay tuned for more information about Dispute Agent!

Visa Visit Proves Valuable to OneBridge, Visa

On Wednesday, June 29, OneBridge president Kim Graham Lee, vice president card programs Janet Simpson, and senior client service manager Susie Golden-Bishop visited Visa headquarters in San Francisco for a partner review meeting. Main topics on the agenda for the day included fraud and the recent compromises, Visa promotions, credit and debit card products, and emerging products.

"Getting an update on Visa's newest products and services directly from the product managers was incredibly valuable," said Janet. "Being on-site and face-to-face provided us with a very focused environment, which gave us the opportunity to ask specific questions related to us and our clients."

Throughout the day, a particularly strong emphasis was placed on security. Visa assured OneBridge of their serious commitment to ensuring the security of cardholder data. They called the recent CardSystems breach a wake-up call for the card processing industry and indicated that all parties involved in the transaction process should be prepared to make some changes as a result of the compromise. Additionally, they stressed the important role that card issuers play in making sure that any vendor that touches cardholder data is CISP compliant.

Other hot topics during the meetings included the significant role rewards are playing in the credit card arena, the steady increase in debit card usage as it continues to take market share from cash and checks, and the introduction and gaining interest in contactless cards.

"OneBridge has some very significant opportunities as they look to bring even greater value to their clients' card programs," said Visa vice president acceptance Matt Price. "I see their small size as being one of their greatest assets. They are able to move quickly and adapt, which is what the market demands of just about any organization in the card industry today."

(Left to right) OneBridge vice president network relations Janet Simpson, OneBridge president Kim Graham Lee, Visa vice president product development Frank Oliva, OneBridge senior client service manager Susie Golden-Bishop, and Visa vice president acceptance Matt Price take a break from discussing contactless cards to pose for a photo.

Client Tour 2005 Wrapping Up

OneBridge has almost completed our goal of meeting with all of our clients by the end of the summer. We are looking forward to a possible Client Tour 2006 and other visits in between! Here are some snapshots of our most recent partner reviews:

(Left to right) Link Federal Credit Union loan officer Robyn Griffon, account manager Liz Yentes, loan officer Jennifer Day, bookkeeper Sally Saulsgiver, and OneBridge vice president software development Aleta Jeffress pose for a shot during the afternoon meeting.

(Left to right) OneBridge senior client service manager Susie Golden-Bishop, CD Federal Credit Union teller supervisor Cindy Gil, CD accounting manager Denise Wildes, CD CEO Mark Roddenberry, and OneBridge president Kim Graham Lee enjoy a moment in the California sunshine in front of the CD Federal Credit Union entrance after a very successful partner review.

Industry Update
Below are interesting stories about the card industry that have made headlines over the last few weeks. Links to the full articles are included below.

To access any Card Forum articles you will need to register with Card Forum. Card Forum is a great tool that provides free access to valuable card information and articles. To register just follow the directions when you click the link.

• Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s application to operate an industrial bank could have far-reaching implications for the electronic processing industry.
  (click for full article "Wal-Mart Bank Application Opens Many Possibilities")
  - Card Forum

• In response to rising health care costs, more companies are shifting a greater portion of their health-insurance costs to their employees. To help ease this burden for consumers, Congress in 2003 approved the creation of tax-deferred health savings accounts, or HSAs, which are tied to high-deductible health plans. These HSAs hold immense promise for card companies to significantly increase debit volume.
  (click for full article "HSAs: Debit's New Cash Cow")
  - Card Forum

• CardSystems chairman and CEO said that the company faces 'imminent extinction' if Visa drops them as a client. However, Visa officials agreed to hold talks with CardSystems regarding continuing the companies' relationship.
  (click for full press release "CardSystems Sees 'Imminent Extinction' if Visa's Ban Holds")
  -The Oxford Press