UK BUSINESSES TO SPEND A BILLION POUNDS IN POSTAGE

16th August 2006 – UK businesses are spending at least a billion pounds each year in postage costs alone, sending out paper bills according to Miles Quitmann, Commercial Director at OneVu, the UK's first service which lets people see, track and pay all their bills from the secure environment of their online bank.

Research, undertaken by Cap Gemini on OneVu's behalf, shows that over 1.5 billion 'regular' paper bills are issued each year in the UK. This figure does not include bills and statements such as club memberships, health insurance and other direct mail. Nor does it include the cost of stationery, labour and associated costs.

"It seems bizarre that in this age of electronic communications businesses are still choosing to send their bills in such an out-of-date and expensive manner. And there is no doubt that UK consumers are bearing the brunt of this expense, as businesses inevitably have to pass on these costs. Ironically UK households pay twice if they decide to post their payments, so it is not a great surprise that consumers are increasingly turning to online billing solutions," comments Miles.

Miles Quitmann also believes that postage costs for business may increase further following the announcement of The Royal Mail's new pricing structure, the Pricing in Proportion Plan (PPP), which comes into effect on Monday 21st August. His view is supported by the findings of a survey by the Forum for Private Business, which represents about 25,000 UK firms. It found that more than 60 per cent of companies think their costs will increase and they will have to spend longer on administration after the new size-related system is implemented.

"Whilst the OneVu service doesn't offer a solution to all business postage costs it can drastically cut billing costs. There are an estimated 18 million UK adults with an Online Bank account today - around 46% of the adult population. According to APACs this is expected to rise to in excess of 23 million by 2010. Presenting bills and processing payments for those bills through the online banks, offers billers access to an audience that is growing rapidly. A large number of forward thinking billing organisations are already responding to this powerful opportunity and have signed up to the OneVu service which will go live with our banking partners at the end of the year," concludes Miles.

Note to Editor’s:

OneVu is the UK's first consolidated electronic bill presentment and payment service which lets people see, track and pay all their bills from the familiar, secure environment of their online bank.

OneVu is a joint venture between Voca (formerly BACS Ltd), which processes over 4 billion financial transactions each year, and CheckFree Corporation (Nasdaq: CKFR), a provider of financial electronic commerce services and products to organisations around the world.

Major billing organisations have been quick to sign up to the OneVu solution in recent months and these include Telewest, TV Licensing, EDF Energy, Colchester Borough Council, Sutton and East Surrey Water, Nectar, Northumbrian Water, Essex and Suffolk Water.

For further information please contact:

Lizzie Woolley on T 020 8671 9031 / M 07881 923 530