Declining consumer attitudes trend continues for second year

CALABASAS, CALIFORNIA (April 10, 2006) – Informa Research Services, Inc., released results of a consumer survey showing that the increases in consumer confidence toward the safety and security of Internet banking noted from 2000 to 2003 have turned to a significant decline from 2003 to 2006.

“While there was consistent growth from 2000 to 2003 (+21%) in the percentage of consumers who completely or strongly agreed with the statement, ‘Internet based transactions handled by financial institutions are safe and secure,’ there was a significant decrease (-15%) from 2003 to 2006,” said Paul C. Lubin, senior vice president at Informa Research Services.

“As consumers become more comfortable with Internet-based financial transactions, they are also becoming more concerned about the safety and security of Internet banking,” added Mr. Lubin.  “Awareness and concern about identity theft is most likely leading to this decline in consumer confidence.”

According to the research conducted by Informa Research Services, 67% of online consumers are very concerned about identity theft and 57% would change banks if personal information was compromised.

“Internet Based Financial Transactions Are…”

The survey was conducted via the Internet with 2,000 consumers in January and February 2006.  For more information on this survey or Informa Research Services, contact Paul Lubin at 212-889-5941 or by email at info@informars.com.

About Informa Research Services, Inc. (www.informars.com)

Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Calabasas, CA, Informa Research Services, Inc., provides the financial industry's most extensive array of market research and decision-support information.

Conducting daily surveys of the retail, lending, and business products offered by more than 10,000 financial organizations nationwide, Informa currently supports the product pricing decisions of more than 3,000 clients, representing all 50 states, and including the top 25 financial institutions.  They are the premier provider of fee and feature studies, used to determine the competitiveness of fee-based services, as well as in-depth studies on cash management services, trust products, and other specialized services.  Informa conducts the finest mystery shopping and market research studies available that deliver accurate and relevant measurements in the areas of employee sales and service, customer satisfaction, closed account research, focus groups, competitive performance, and compliance testing.  The company’s extensive financial product database is a popular source of licensed editorial content for financial portals, websites, newspapers, and magazines, attracting major Internet partners, including Yahoo! Finance, Quicken, CNN.com, ABC, MSN, MyFico.com, Edmunds.com, and Internet Broadcasting Systems.