Winterville, NC - ONLINE Information Services, Inc. announced today the successful integration of its premier bad-debt elimination tool, the ONLINE Utility Exchange, with the Harris NorthStar Utilities Solutions (NorthStar) customer information system. This integration will allow NorthStar’s utility customers to eliminate bad debt during the application process.

Through its partnership with ONLINE, NorthStar now offers an integrated real-time credit risk assessment and Red Flag compliance tool to their customers. The ONLINE Utility Exchange will utilize application data entered in NorthStar’s CIS to verify the applicant’s identity, return an accurate deposit amount according to the Utility’s policies, and highlight unpaid utility bills and disconnects from ONLINE’s unique national Utility Exchange database and other national sources. Further, the integration will allow NorthStar customers to send their customer payment information to ONLINE automatically, helping to track customers who do not pay their bills from utility to utility through ONLINE’s national Utility Exchange database.

Both ONLINE and NorthStar are confident this integration will have an immediate positive impact for customers. According to ONLINE President, J.W. Blair, “With the ONLINE Utility Exchange, NorthStar clients can access ONLINE’s state-of-the-art decisioning tools directly through the Northstar Platform. By identifying possible Red Flags, validating applicant identity, returning deposit decisions, and highlighting outstanding utility bills, the ONLINE Utility Exchange helps Utilities reduce their write offs. In these tough economic times, knowing who your applicants truly are is a vital first step in that process, and we are excited by the opportunity to work with NorthStar and their customers. As a provider of world-class technology and systems for the Utilities market, NorthStar is a true industry leader, and ONLINE looks forward to assisting their customers in eliminating bad debt at the point of application.” NorthStar Vice President, Ken Hayes, adds, “The integration effort with ONLINE will provide extensive opportunities for our customers to control losses, comply with changing governance, and enjoy a source of secure, accurate credit information.”

About the ONLINE Utility Exchange:

Established in 1956 as a credit bureau and collections agency, ONLINE Information Services, Inc. is currently the nation's leading developer of risk management and debt recovery solutions for the Utility, Property Management, Healthcare, and Mortgage industries. Servicing Utilities throughout the nation, the ONLINE Utility Exchange is a utility-specific credit bureau with the single goal of providing the tools necessary to eliminate bad debt. For more information, visit our website at www.ONLINEUtilityExchange.com or contact:

Christoph Turner
Director of Sales & Marketing
(866) 630-6400, ext. 2125
chris@onlineis.com

About NorthStar Utilities Solutions:

NorthStar has been serving the utility market for more than 30 years. NorthStar provides utilities with integrated solutions for customer information and billing, financial management and meter data management. Our 200 customer in North American and the Caribbean, benefit from our solutions that let utilities manage their revenues, deliver superior customer service and improve efficiencies while reducing total cost of ownership. For more information on NorthStar Utilities Solutions and the NorthStar product suite please visit our website at www.northstarutilities.com or contact:

Rob DiMurro
General Manager NorthStar Utilities Solutions
A division of Harris Computer Systems
613-226-5511 x 2146
rdimurro@northstarutilities.com

Ken Hayes
Vice President of Sales and Marketing NorthStar Utilities Solutions
A division of Harris Computer Systems
256-686-1278 or 256-642-6368
khayes@northstarutilities.com

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