CINCINNATI, Aug. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Fifth Third Processing Solutions has been awarded the MasterCard Worldwide "Best in Class" Gold Award for its excellence in operational achievements. The awards program annually acknowledges performance in key areas that impact cardholder experiences. This marks the second consecutive year that Fifth Third has been recognized for its payments transaction processing excellence. Fifth Third was one of six customers in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific to be recognized as a MasterCard Worldwide Gold Award winner. Accepting the award on behalf of Fifth Third, Charles Drucker, CEO of Fifth Third Processing Solutions, said: "We are delighted to be recognized by MasterCard for our operational achievements in quality. This award speaks to our team's best-in-class talent and commitment in working with our valued processing partners to ensure a pleasant payment experience for their customers. " MasterCard Worldwide established the "Best in Class" Awards program in 2006 to acknowledge customers that have attained exceptional operational performance in MasterCard Quality Standards. Worldwide Gold Award winners are customers that achieve the majority of the standards, which include the following: cardholder satisfaction at the point of sale through authorization of transactions, call referral rates and chargeback performance. Fifth Third Processing Solutions supports MasterCard debit card programs through the MasterCard Worldwide Network for more than 600 financial institutions including Fifth Third Bank. "Fifth Third Processing Solutions takes pride of its tremendous operations performance and the positive experience it has helped drive for millions of cardholders," said Steve Alonso, executive vice president, Bankcard and Consumer Lending at Fifth Third Bank. "As a recipient of this award for a second consecutive year, Fifth Third Processing Solutions clearly stands out among the strongest processors and acquirers in the payments industry." The awards are designed to recognize excellent customers for their operational achievements and provide useful feedback for improving their operational performance while creating a sense of urgency and understanding about the need to focus on quality and performance excellence. Award winners are determined in the first quarter of each year based on prior year data. Winners must have annual authorization transaction counts of greater than one million through the MasterCard Worldwide Network and be compliant with all MasterCard Rules. About MasterCard Worldwide MasterCard Worldwide advances global commerce by providing a critical economic link among financial institutions, businesses, cardholders and merchants worldwide. As a franchisor, processor and advisor, MasterCard develops and markets payment solutions, processes approximately 21 billion transactions each year, and provides industry-leading analysis and consulting services to financial-institution customers and merchants. Powered by the MasterCard Worldwide Network and through its family of brands, including MasterCard , Maestro and Cirrus , MasterCard serves consumers and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. For more information go to http://www.mastercard.com/. About Fifth Third Bancorp Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Company has $116 billion in assets, operates 16 affiliates with 1,307 full-service Banking Centers, including 98 Bank Mart locations open seven days a week inside select grocery stores and 2,354 ATMs in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Georgia and North Carolina. Fifth Third operates four main businesses: Commercial Banking, Branch Banking, Consumer Lending, and Investment Advisors. Fifth Third also has a 49% interest in Fifth Third Processing Solutions, LLC. Fifth Third is among the largest money managers in the Midwest and, as of June 30, 2009, has $180 billion in assets under care, of which it managed $24 billion for individuals, corporations and not-for-profit organizations. Investor information and press releases can be viewed at http://www.53.com/. Fifth Third's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ National Global Select Market under the symbol "FITB." Fifth Third Processing Solutions, LLC delivers innovative payment transaction processing and acceptance solutions to create and support complex payment strategies for merchants, businesses, and financial institutions around the world. A pioneer in card payment acceptance in the early 1970s, Fifth Third Processing Solutions is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio and is a joint venture with Advent International and Fifth Third Bank. As a premier full service payment solutions provider, the Company provides servicing solutions and product engineering for financial institutions' and retailers' credit card, debit card, merchant and private label programs processing over 28.4 billion ATM and point of sale transactions and over $292 billion in debit and credit card sales volume annually. The Company supports over 173,000 merchant and financial institution locations and 11,000 ATMs in 44 states and 11 countries. According to the Nilson Report (March 2009), the Company is the fourth largest U.S. merchant purchase transaction acquirer. Learn more at http://www.ftpsllc.com/. DATASOURCE: Fifth Third Processing Solutions CONTACT: Lynn M. Rhoads, Vice President, Communications & Marketing, +1-513-534-7742; Stephanie Honan, Assistant Vice President and Assistant PR Manager, Fifth Third Bank, +1-513-534-6957 Web Site: http://www.53.com/

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