NACHA Requests Nominations For 2007 Payments System Awards

"The annual NACHA Payments Systems Awards provide an opportunity for organizations, financial institutions, and service providers to be recognized for outstanding innovation and leadership in electronic payments," said Elliott C. McEntee, President and Chief Executive Officer of NACHA.

The George Mitchell Award is presented annually to an individual, company or other organization that has demonstrated superior leadership in the development, implementation or advancement of electronic payments. The Mitchell Award is named in honor of the late George Mitchell, former vice-chairman of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. In 2006, the Mitchell award went to The Honorable Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., former Vice Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, for his leadership of the Federal Reserve in its roles as payment system regulator, service provider, and advocate, and his stewardship of the Federal Reserve and the payments system in the aftermath of September 11, 2001.

The Kevin O'Brien Award is also presented annually to recognize best practices in ACH participants' efforts to maintain and improve the quality of ACH services and the integrity and reliability of the ACH Network. The award is named in honor of the late Kevin O'Brien, NACHA's Chairman in 1999-2000. The 2006 ACH Quality Award went to Parish National Bank in recognition of its heroic efforts to restore banking and financial services to consumers and businesses after Hurricane Katrina. Parish National Bank was representative of the many banks and credit unions that took extraordinary measures to restore ACH services to its customers after the storm.

The 2007 Payments System Awards winners will be recognized at NACHA's PAYMENTS 2007 Conference in Chicago, Illinois, which will be held April 15-18, 2007 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. For more information, contact your Regional Payments Association or visit the NACHA website at www.nacha.org.