MINNETONKA, Minn. -- Identix Incorporated, a leading multi-biometric security technology company, and ING DIRECT, the nation's fastest growing direct bank offering simple financial products to customers over the Internet and telephone, jointly announced today the installation of several TouchPrint fingerprint live scan systems at ING DIRECT locations in Wilmington, Delaware; Los Angeles, California; and St. Cloud, Minnesota. ING DIRECT purchased the Identix live scan systems to help increase the speed and efficiency of processing employee background checks. The systems are now operational with live electronic submission through the American Banking Association, the channeling agency that handles FBI fingerprint submissions for the financial services industry, to facilitate the required employee background check process.

Arkadi Kuhlmann, president and CEO of ING DIRECT, stated, "As a bank, we are focused on security and privacy for our customers and internally, this begins with our employees. The background check process helps to ensure the integrity of our employee base and Identix' live scan systems are instrumental in facilitating this process by enhancing the accurate capture of FBI IAFIS accepted fingerprint data in a user-friendly environment. ING DIRECT is pleased to work with Identix to be one of the first financial institutions taking advantage of this technology."

Dr. Joseph J. Atick, president and CEO of Identix stated, "Trusted identity has become an essential component in modern enterprise security systems, in which access privileges are granted only to those who clear background checks. Identix, through its fingerprint live scan biometric systems, has been a pioneer and the leader in facilitating the background check process in the criminal and civil ID marketplace. In fact, two of the world's largest background check networks -- INS for citizen applicants and California Department of Justice for criminal submissions -- utilize Identix equipment. Our 20-plus years experience in this business and continuous introductions of breakthrough technologies helps to ensure our leadership position as we continue to penetrate this important vertical market."

Atick continued, "The financial industry is the latest commercial segment to embrace the notion of 'trusted identity' as a qualification for employment and access privileges, primarily as a result of legal mandates. Identix is committed to providing the same level of unparalleled innovation, product quality and customer service to this industry that gave us our excellent reputation in the government and law enforcement markets."

C. Diane Poole, group director of the Member and Technical Services of the American Bankers Association stated, "We're pleased that more and more financial institutions are switching to electronic submission of their fingerprint cards. Using electronic submissions means the financial institution will receives results of the search within four to five days (as opposed to four to five weeks). Many institutions have already expended training dollars because new employees have started work. If you have to let someone go after they have been in employment for six weeks, that's money lost. But if you're getting back results within days, you can afford to wait before you actually hire the applicant. This can mean significant savings for the institution."

Identix provides a series of live scan management systems that capture, print and transmit fingerprints electronically, and which are available in several configurations -- ruggedized standalone; desktop; and transportable. Financial institutions typically use the live scan systems to channel the applicant criminal background check request through the American Bank Association (ABA) to the FBI, for search against the FBI's IAFIS (Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System) database. In addition to ING DIRECT, Identix had previously announced similar installations with Mellon Bank NA of Pittsburgh, PA, and two other undisclosed financial services firms.

Source: Identix Incorporated; ING DIRECT