NORCROSS, Georgia and LONDON, May 26 /PRNewswire/ --

- S1 Enterprise Establishes 'Banking Relationship Score'

- Outlines Steps Required to Rebuild Trust and Confidence

Results of a new survey released today by S1 Enterprise confirm that
troubles in the banking sector have taken a toll on customers' relationships
with their financial institutions - and provide insights on how banks can
rebuild trust and confidence. Fielded among more than 1,200 European and U.S.
consumers and 54 large corporate banking customers in April 2009, the survey
finds that only nine percent of consumer respondents in Europe and the U.S.
are currently confident in financial institutions.

The crisis in the financial sector shows no signs of abating, with only
14 percent of European consumers believing things are likely to improve in
the next 12 months. This lack of confidence extends to consumers'
relationships with their banks with only 37 percent of European consumers
saying they are likely to stay with their current bank, and a mere 27 percent
admitting they would recommend their current bank to someone else. Another 43
percent would go as far as to dissuade someone from becoming a customer. This
data underscores the need for banks to draw closer to their customers in
terms of communicating the institution's financial health as well as
demonstrating an understanding of customer needs and expectations.

The survey goes on to establish a benchmark for tracking the strength of
the relationship between banks and customers. The 'Banking Relationship
Score' (BRS) is a multi-dimensional measurement that combines three stated
and emotional factors: trust in one's current bank; likelihood to continue
with one's current bank; and likelihood to recommend one's current bank to
others. BRS scores fall into one of three ranges developed by Vantedge Group
based on analysis and benchmarking across a variety of industries: Strong
Relationship = a score of 75 or higher; Neutral Relationship = a score of 60
to 74; and At-Risk Relationship = a score below 60.

The overall Banking Relationship Score for European financial
institutions came in at 27.7, compared to 55.3 in the U.S. This score is well
into the 'at risk' zone and almost 50 points below the target range of 75 or
above which designates strong relationships.

"The severity of the downturn for financial institutions has clearly
eroded key components of the banking relationship, while increasing the
importance of emotional drivers like trust," said Read Ziegler, President and
CEO of Vantedge Group. "By weighing the trust factor against the stated
likelihood of consumers to stay with as well as recommend their bank, we can
get a fresh new perspective on the health of the bank-customer relationship
on a national level."

"Banking relationships are clearly at a crossroads," said Mark Moore,
Vice President of Marketing for S1 Enterprise. "But the more important
question is what banks can do to combat these trends and rebuild
relationships with their customers, both on the consumer and corporate sides
of the business. The way in which banks interact with their customers matters
today more than ever."

The results highlight the growing importance of banks building back trust
and confidence through a greater focus on customer intimacy across all
banking channels (online, mobile, branch/teller and call center). For
example, when asked their preference for interacting with their banks, a
majority of consumer respondents (41 percent) said 'in person at the branch',
followed by a more even split between a combination of in person and online
(28 percent) and online only (23 percent).

The survey results suggest specific steps that the banks can take to
build stronger customer relationships. These include tailoring
communications, services and the overall banking experience to individual
customer segments across all delivery channels. This means banks will need to
better harness data and analytics for deeper insight in order to provide
advice about how customers can better manage their financial lives. "The
research suggests banks should strive to create a culture of customer
advocacy, one that promotes proactive service, honesty and greater
transparency into a bank's financial health," added Moore.

Other top findings from the survey include:

-- Overall, only 14 percent of European consumers indicated they were 
       feeling positive about an economic recovery within the next 12 months.
    -- Only 37 percent of European consumers say they're likely to stay
       with their current bank, and a mere 27 percent would actually 
       recommend their current bank to someone else. Another 43 percent say 
       they'd be more likely to dissuade someone from becoming a customer.
    -- When broken down by demographic factors, the Bank Relationship
       Score model revealed that young, affluent males with less than three
       accounts with their primary bank represent the customer group at 
       greatest risk for defecting.
    -- The survey of corporate banking customers found 'Trust' to be the
       number one factor in building valuable banking relationships (70 
       percent of corporate respondents). As the financial landscape 
       continues to shift, 50 percent of corporate respondents noted that 
       they intend to keep their banking relationships limited to a small 
       group of less than five institutions (the smallest option available on 
       the survey questionnaire).
    -- Only 41 percent of large corporations indicated they would be likely 
       to recommend their financial institution to a friend or colleague, and 
       only 46 percent noted that they are likely to continue a relationship 
       with their bank.

Titled 'Banking Relationships: An Era of Change,' this survey was
conducted by third-party research firm, Vantedge Group LLC, on behalf of S1
Enterprise, a division of S1 Corporation (Nasdaq: SONE) and a leading global
provider of flexible, bank-centric solutions and payment services.

About S1 Enterprise

More than 100 banks and three million consumer, small business, and
corporate users worldwide rely on S1 Enterprise solutions to access and
manage their financial information. A division of S1 Corporation (Nasdaq:
SONE), S1 Enterprise is a leading global provider of integrated banking
solutions that deliver financial service providers a holistic view of their
customers whether online, in the branch or in the call center. Additional
information about S1 Enterprise is available at www.s1enterprise.com.

About S1 Corporation

S1 Corporation (Nasdaq: SONE) delivers customer interaction software for
financial and payment services and offers unique solution sets for financial
institutions, retailers, and processors under three brand names: Postilion,
S1 Enterprise and FSB Solutions. Additional information about S1 solutions is
available at www.s1.com, www.postilion.com, www.s1enterprise.com and
www.fsb-solutions.com.