TransFirst® and Astoria Federal Savings Collaborate To Benefit Business Banking Customers

Hauppauge, New York – TransFirst, a leading provider of transaction processing services and payment enabling technologies, is pleased to announce a new collaboration with Astoria Federal Savings that will provide innovative payment processing products and services to help Astoria Federal’s business banking customers grow and succeed.

Astoria Federal’s customers will benefit from TransFirst’s proprietary merchant services offerings, including Transaction Express^TM, an online centralized payment gateway; and TransLink, a comprehensive web-based reporting system and management tool that delivers 24/7 access to a variety of merchant services and merchant bankcard solutions. Customers will also benefit from TransFirst’s industry-leading partner support — including dedicated expert management, training programs and specialized communications — along with portfolio performance reports, a 24/7 merchant helpdesk, competitive pricing and innovative proprietary products.

“We are very pleased to announce this important alliance with Astoria Federal Savings,” says Marla Knutson, president of TransFirst’s National Financial Institutions division. “Our ‘TransFirst Partnership Program’ implementation timeline strategically aligned with Astoria Federal’s rollout of their business banking expansion strategy, resulting in a win–win for both companies.”

“All of us at TransFirst are excited about building a strong, mutually beneficial business relationship with an institution that is so well-respected within the local footprint of our New York company headquarters,” says John Shlonsky, TransFirst’s president and CEO. “We are looking forward to working with the Astoria Federal team for many years to come.”

“We are confident that our business banking customers will be well-served with the TransFirst Partnership Program,” says Stephen Sipola, senior vice president and director of business banking for Astoria Federal Savings. “TransFirst’s Partner Sales Support group and its sales representatives’ commitment to merchant retention as well as new acquisitions impressed us most. We are excited to leverage TransFirst’s expertise to help us gain merchant processing market share in the coming years.”

The agreement between TransFirst and Astoria Federal runs through 2017.

About TransFirst (www.TransFirst.com):
A leading provider of secure transaction processing services and payment enabling technologies, TransFirst offers innovative products and services designed with financial institution, independent sales organization, healthcare, e-commerce, government and merchant customers’ unique needs in mind. By collaborating with our customers and utilizing strong industry knowledge, we help them grow their businesses. Founded in 1995, TransFirst continues to attain significant market share and world-class expertise in growing and profitable industry segments. Built on a platform of personal service, customer commitment and flexible pricing, TransFirst is headquartered in Hauppauge, New York, and has operations facilities in Aurora, Colorado; Broomfield, Colorado; Omaha, Nebraska; Overland Park, Kansas; Franklin, Tennessee; Cypress, California; and executive headquarters in Dallas, Texas. Company-wide, TransFirst currently processes approximately $30 billion in annual sales volume for more than 175,000 merchants and financial institution partners. For additional information, please call 631.840.6900 or visit www.TransFirst.com.

About Astoria Financial Corporation (www.AstoriaFederal.com):
Astoria Financial Corporation, with assets of $17.6 billion, is the holding company for Astoria Federal Savings and Loan Association.  Established in 1888, Astoria Federal, with deposits in New York totaling $10.7 billion, is the largest thrift depository in New York and embraces its philosophy of “Putting people first” by providing the customers and local communities it serves with quality financial products and services through 85 convenient banking office locations and multiple delivery channels, including its enhanced website, www.astoriafederal.com.  Astoria Federal commands the fourth largest deposit market share in the attractive Long Island market, which includes Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk counties with a population exceeding that of 38 individual states.  Astoria Federal originates mortgage loans through its banking and loan production offices in New York, an extensive broker network covering fourteen states, primarily along the East Coast, and the District of Columbia, and through correspondent relationships covering fifteen states and the District of Columbia.