O-STA

NOVA Appoints Roger Alexander CEO of euroConex; Will Lead Company's Aggressive European Growth Strategy

ATLANTA & DUBLIN, Ireland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 11, 2006--NOVA Information Systems (NOVA), a wholly owned subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB), today announced that it has appointed Roger K. Alexander to the position of chief executive officer of euroConex Technologies Ltd., NOVA's European affiliate. Alexander will be responsible for running the company's pan-European merchant acquiring business.

Alexander was most recently chief executive officer of S2 Card Services Ltd. (formerly known as Switch), the U.K.'s leading domestic debit card scheme. Prior to joining S2 in October 2002, Alexander spent 3 years as a partner with payment systems consultancy firm Edgar, Dunn & Company (EDC) in London. Previously, Alexander spent over 30 years with Barclays Bank where he held a variety of roles and was appointed director of Barclaycard and managing director of Barclays Bank's Emerging Markets Group in 1994.

"We are pleased that Roger has come on board to drive our aggressive pan-European expansion plans," said Stuart C. Harvey, Jr., president of NOVA and chairman of euroConex. "His extensive experience in the payments space and his strong leadership skills will ensure that euroConex continues to deliver on the foundation of strong organic growth and acquisitions that are in place today."

"I'm excited about the opportunity to lead euroConex at such a vital time in the company's history," said Alexander. "I'm looking forward to working with the excellent and dedicated employees of the European team to further develop the business and add value to our strong partner relationships and our extensive client base."

EuroConex recently announced a definitive agreement to acquire Citibank(R) Card Acceptance (CCA), a part of Citigroup, Inc. (NYSE:C). The deal closed successfully at the end of the year. Approximately 100,000 merchant locations in more than 30 countries have joined the euroConex portfolio. Additionally, euroConex picked up CCA operations centers based in the United Kingdom, Germany and Belgium. This deal adds approximately 150 employees to euroConex and raises the company's total portfolio to more than 200,000 merchant locations.

About NOVA

NOVA Information Systems, a leader in the payment processing industry is a wholly owned subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB). Combined, NOVA and its affiliates, euroConex and Elan, provide global merchant processing services to financial institutions and customers in the United States, Canada, and Europe. NOVA offers integrated payment processing services to more than 800,000 merchants. For more information visit www.novainfo.com.

About euroConex

EuroConex Technologies Ltd. is the European affiliate of NOVA Information Systems and a wholly owned subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp. The company provides integrated payment processing services to financial institutions and merchants in more than 30 European countries using a multi-currency platform. In addition to point of sale, international point of sale and e-commerce solutions, euroConex also provides a range of specialist multi-currency products including Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC). For more information visit www.euroconex.com.

KONTAKT:

Michelle Graff,

678-731-5064

michelle.graff@novainfo.com