Fifth Third Bancorp Selects Bottomline Technologies; WebSeries Platfor

    Business Editors/High-Tech Editors

    PORTSMOUTH, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 1, 2005--Bottomline Technologies (NASDAQ: EPAY), a leading global technology provider of financial Business Process Management (fBPM) software and managed services, today announced that Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ: FITB) has selected the company's WebSeries(R) platform to enhance wire origination for its relationship managers, retail banking center network and internal departments, as well as provide Web services-based foreign draft and check management.
    Fifth Third Bancorp has been providing a wide range of personal, small business and commercial products and services to customers in the Midwest and Florida for more than 145 years. In a competitive banking marketplace, Fifth Third executives recognized the value in further empowering its banking centers to initiate fed wire transfers and international payments.
    By streamlining and further automating the wire process for Fifth Third's relationship managers and over 1,000 banking centers, Fifth Third will be able to more efficiently execute wire transfers based on business best practices. In selecting Bottomline Technologies' WebSeries to support wire origination and Web services-based foreign draft and check management, Fifth Third is able to deploy a flexible and scalable platform capable of supporting both short- and long-term business objectives.
    "In a marketplace as competitive as banking, differentiation is often tied to the ability to execute core business processes swiftly and accurately," said Sheila Spradlin, Director of International Banking, Fifth Third Bank. "The flexibility and functionality that Bottomline Technologies' WebSeries provides gives us new tools and capabilities, such as Web services, to ensure that we are in a position to stay a step ahead of the marketplace in delivering our products and services."
    A comprehensive, Web-enabled payment and financial information management system, WebSeries uses client-defined business rules to automate and control payment processing in a secure and scalable environment. Across the financial services industry, organizations have deployed WebSeries for electronic banking, investment funds management, and enterprise cash management.
    "We are committed to helping our banking clients deliver the most advanced services possible to their customers," said Joe Mullen, CEO of Bottomline Technologies. "Using WebSeries to support key operational process improvements at the branch level, Fifth Third Bancorp will be able to compete more effectively for new customer relationships, ensuring retention through increased responsiveness."

    About Bottomline Technologies

    Bottomline Technologies (NASDAQ: EPAY - News) is a leading global technology provider of financial Business Process Management (fBPM) solutions. Bottomline's comprehensive set of fBPM offerings enables businesses and financial institutions to more effectively manage their critical financial transactions, cash decisions and trading partner relationships, leveraging the Web. Applications include Electronic Payments and Cash Management, Electronic Invoice Receipt and Management, Electronic Invoice Presentment and Payment (EIPP), Electronic Banking, Information Reporting, and Document Output Management. Founded in 1989, Bottomline maintains its corporate headquarters in Portsmouth, NH, and international headquarters in Reading, England. For more information, visit Bottomline on the Web at www.bottomline.com, or dial (800) 243-2528 or (603) 436-0700.

    Bottomline Technologies, the BT logo and WebSeries are registered trademarks of Bottomline Technologies, Inc. which may be registered in certain jurisdictions. All other brand/product names are trademarks of their respective holders.

    Cautionary Language

    This press release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding expected benefits of use of the Company's products and future growth or results. Among the important factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are competition, market demand, technological change, strategic relationships, recent acquisitions, international operations and general economic conditions. For additional discussion of factors that could impact Bottomline Technologies' financial results, refer to the Company's Form 10K filed September 2004, Form 10Q filed November 2004 and any recently filed Form 8K's.

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CONTACT: Bottomline Technologies Billy Balfour, 603-501-5219 bbalfour@bottomline.com

KEYWORD: NEW HAMPSHIRE INDUSTRY KEYWORD: BANKING SOFTWARE SOURCE: Bottomline Technologies

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