Citizens Equity First Credit Union Added to Financial Management Solutions, Inc.'s Client Portfolio

ATLANTA-Nation's 13th largest credit union contracted to benchmark teller performance

Financial Management Solutions, Inc. (FMSI) announced today that Peoria, Ill.-based Citizens Equity First Credit Union (CEFCU) has signed with the company to use its Teller Management System(TM) (TMS) to benchmark teller performance, improve staffing effectiveness and reduce transaction costs.

Founded in 1937, CEFCU is the 13th largest credit union in the United States, with more than $2.2 billion in assets. TMS was developed by FMSI to help financial institutions manage the most labor-intensive area of any branch - the teller line.

According to David Brugger, Vice President of Branch Operations for CEFCU, "CEFCU already benchmarks productivity, but working with FMSI and using TMS brings an entirely new dimension to what the credit union accomplishes in-house. We can now compare the credit union to a list of more than 50 other institutions nationwide for an objective assessment of how well the teller lines at CEFCU are managed. TMS offers exactly what we were looking for to assist the credit union in analyzing various operating functions where member service is concerned."

W. Michael Scott, President of FMSI said, "CEFCU is one of the strongest leaders in the credit union industry and will surely set a standard of excellence for others to benchmark against. We are pleased to be chosen as CEFCU's business partner."

FMSI offers TMS through a service bureau environment. Each month client institutions send transaction data and human resources information updates to FMSI electronically. The company then runs the TMS analysis and generates reports that indicate productivity levels and unit labor costs for the entire institution, its regions, branches and individual tellers. Through TMS, FMSI also provides unique daily optimum work schedules based on member traffic patterns within each branch.

"The teller line is the life-blood of the branch - the credit union's first and often most memorable impression on its members," continued Scott. "And, on the teller line is often where there is the most need for scheduling improvement. We don't recommend an environment of `slash-and-burn,' but rather a more strategic approach to staffing and hiring decisions. Institutions that use TMS make their staffing decisions based on factual evidence of what personnel are needed and when, not based on assumptions or guesses."

About Financial Management Solutions, Inc.

Financial Management Solutions, Inc., founded in 1990, is a privately held company in Atlanta, Ga. The firm provides banks and credit unions with performance management information through its products The Teller Management System(TM) (TMS) and The Resource Management System(TM) (RMS). TMS provides institutions with productivity and labor cost analysis, as well as recommended teller schedules to help the branches and institution as a whole achieve maximum cost effectiveness. RMS gives managers the software tool to easily match available personnel with recommended schedules, which not only simplifies the scheduling process, but also creates schedules that follow recommendations set forth by TMS.

FMSI works with financial institutions of all sizes throughout the United States, including Denali Alaskan FCU, Redstone FCU, Citrus & Chemical Bank, Fidelity Federal Bank and Union Planters Corporation.

What are people saying about mortgages today:

Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down last week to a seven-month low. Mortgage-giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 6.3 percent, down slightly from 6.31 percent two weeks ago. It put rates at the lowest level since they were at 6.24 percent the first week of March.

Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, Territorial Savings Bank and Wells Fargo Home Mortgages all cut their 30-year mortgage rates to 5.75 percent this week.

Most people think of a mortgage as a means to an end. After all, you buy a house, not a home loan. But a mortgage is much more than the path to homeownership. It is a financial instrument that must be managed, just like any other financial investment.