National Processing Company Signs Check Services Agreement with CrossCheck, Inc.

Rohnert Park, CA, Dec. 11, 2002 -- CrossCheck, Inc., the nations largest privately held payment guarantee company, announced the signing of an agreement with National Processing Company (NPC®), a leading provider of merchant debit and credit card processing and a wholly owned subsidiary of National Processing, Inc. (NYSE: NAP). Under the terms of the agreement, NPC will provide CrossChecks complete suite of check authorization services, including electronic check conversion via an imager, to NPCs regional merchants and prospects nationwide.

Rohnert Park, CA, Dec. 11, 2002 -- CrossCheck, Inc., the nations largest privately held payment guarantee company, announced the signing of an agreement with National Processing Company (NPC®), a leading provider of merchant debit and credit card processing and a wholly owned subsidiary of National Processing, Inc. (NYSE: NAP). Under the terms of the agreement, NPC will provide CrossChecks complete suite of check authorization services, including electronic check conversion via an imager, to NPCs regional merchants and prospects nationwide.

NPC, the second largest processor in the world, supports over 645,000 merchant locations, representing nearly one out of every five MasterCard® and VISA® transactions processed nationally.

"With over 19 billion checks written annually at the point of sale, converting paper checks to electronic form represents a huge opportunity to reduce retailers costs," said Mark D. Pyke, chief operating officer for NPC. "We believe that CrossCheck's experience in check risk management combined with check imaging technology will help check conversion to become more widespread and allow us to deliver on the promise of reducing the costs of accepting checks for payment."

CrossChecks Electronic Check Acceptance service converts a customer's paper check into an electronic check at the point-of-sale and delivers funds directly to the merchant's account, improving cash flow. Merchants benefit because they can consolidate bank accounts, streamline operations and reduce paper handling. Checks are authorized and guaranteed, allowing merchants the convenience and safety of accepting low-numbered, out-of-town, and even out-of-state checks with confidence.

We are excited about this opportunity to be a check service provider to NPC," said CrossCheck president and chief executive officer, J. David Siembieda. NPC has a tremendous amount of experience, knowledge and success in electronic payment processing. We look forward to partnering with them and adding our check services to their already robust regional merchant service offering."

About National Processing, Inc.
National Processing, Inc., through its wholly owned operating subsidiary National Processing Company (NPC®), is a leading provider of merchant credit card processing. National Processing is 85 percent owned by National City Corporation (NYSE: NCC) (www.nationalcity.com), one of the nations largest financial holding companies. NPC supports over 645,000 merchant locations, representing nearly one out of every five MasterCard® and VISA® transactions processed nationally. NPC's card processing solutions offer superior levels of service and performance and assist merchants in lowering their total cost of card acceptance through world-class people, technology and service. Additional information regarding National Processing can be obtained at www.npc.net.

About CrossCheck, Inc.
Founded in 1983, CrossCheck provides payment guarantee solutions to more than 73,000 merchant outlets across the country and handled more than $9 billion in guaranteed transactions in 2001. With more than 19 years experience, their goal has been to provide their merchant customers with increased profitability while reducing their financial risk. CrossCheck is known for industry firsts and cutting-edge-technology in the point-of-sale financial services marketplace. For more information, visit www.cross-check.com or call (800) 654-2365.