November 2, 2006

The survey, a follow-up to a study announced in 2004 that first introduced Americans to six segments of billpayer personalities, found that consumers today are more trusting of the Internet, particularly when it comes to financial management, and that there has been a significant, positive shift in several of the bill payment behavioral categories. The survey was conducted by Lieberman Research Worldwide, a Los Angeles-based firm that specializes in consumer segmentation research.

Online is Safer than Paper: Facts Quell Initial Fears

Thanks to a greater awareness of identity theft and prevention measures, the 2006 survey revealed that Americans are less concerned about online security today than in 2004, and trust electronic billing and payment systems. Specifically: * The number of respondents that indicated they do not trust the Internet with the security of their financial information declined by 60 percent: from 20 percent in 2004 to just eight percent in 2006. * Thirty-seven percent of 2006 respondents indicated they agreed that paying bills online is safer than paying them by mailing a paper check, as opposed to just 24 percent in 2004. This is an increase of more than 50 percent.

"When Javelin first started reporting the security benefits of online transactions in 2005, many people saw it as counter-intuitive. However, it has been shown that 90 percent of known cause identity fraud happens through offline channels," said James Van Dyke, founder and principal analyst, Javelin Strategy & Research. "It's rewarding to see that consumers now understand that using an electronic billing and payment program is not only safe, but is one of the best things they can do to help protect themselves from identity fraud."

Consumers' growing trust in the Internet has contributed to a significant increase in electronic billing and payment adoption. Since 2004, the number of consumers using CheckFree's electronic billing and payment services has increased by 32 percent annually.