06.18.07 | TRANSFIRST Announces Thomas Rouse's Retirement, President John Shlonsky Appointed CEO

DALLAS (June 18, 2007) — TRANSFIRST, a leading provider of credit card processing services and payment enabling technologies, announced today the retirement of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Thomas Rouse, after 12 years of leading the company. Industry veteran and Rouse appointee, John Shlonsky, has been named President and CEO, effective immediately.

Shlonsky joined TRANSFIRST as President and Chief Operating Officer in October 2006 from First Data, where he was president of First Data Merchant Services. Rouse, who has served as CEO since founding the company in 1995 as ACS Merchant Services, has grown the company through seven acquisitions to its current position of $25 billion in annual sales. Rouse will remain active as a member of TRANSFIRST's board of directors and will serve as a senior advisor to the board.

"With our recent acquisition by Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe, TRANSFIRST is well-positioned to continue growing and to establish itself as a technology leader within the transactions industry," said Shlonsky. "Our growth plans include expanding and enhancing our sales and product solutions with best-in-class technology and maximizing front- and back-end processing with in-house resources. Today, TRANSFIRST is one of the key players in the payment processing industry, and it is a direct result of Tommy's vision and leadership."

"This is an ideal juncture for TRANSFIRST with key talent and strategic resources necessary to meet our established business goals in the most efficient manner," said Rouse. "Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe and I are confident in John's ability to drive that vision and grow TRANSFIRST as the industry's leading transaction processor."

About TRANSFIRST
A premier provider of transaction processing services and payment enabling technologies, TRANSFIRST offers a first-rate suite of products and services and customized processing programs uniquely tailored for the special business needs of financial institutions, independent sales organizations and agents and its referral and reseller partners. Through its in-depth industry knowledge, partnership strategy and innovative solutions, TRANSFIRST provides a specialized approach to transaction processing for healthcare providers, public entities, online and other non-traditional merchants, as well as brick and mortar retailers. Founded in 1995, TRANSFIRST is a market leader in strategic mergers and acquisitions, which has allowed the company to gain significant market share and world-class expertise in growing and profitable industry segments. Built on a platform of personal service, customer commitment and flexible pricing, TRANSFIRST is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has operations facilities in Louisville, Colo., Omaha, Neb., Kansas City, Kan., Newport Beach, Calif., and Milwaukee, Wis. Company wide, TRANSFIRST currently processes approximately $25 billion in annual sales volume for more than 160,000 merchants and more than 965 financial institutions. TRANSFIRST can be reached at 1-800-745-2659 or at www.TRANSFIRST.com.