TSYS® Wins International Economic Development Award

Award Affirms Success of TSYS International Expansion Strategy

Columbus, Ga., May 22, 2001 — TSYS (NYSE: "TSS") Chairman of the Board and CEO Richard W. Ussery will be presented the Oglethorpe Silver Sword Award from Peter Marshall, Her Majesty's Consul General, at a luncheon hosted by the Atlanta British American Business Group on Wednesday, May 23 in Atlanta.

The award, named for Georgia’s founder, James Oglethorpe, is presented to the individual or corporate representative deemed to have made a significant contribution to trade and investment in both the United Kingdom and Georgia.

"TSYS came to our attention in 1992 and became an ideal nominee when it began investing in the U.K. in 1999," said Glen Whitley, the Vice Consul-Investments for the British Consulate-General, Invest UK in Atlanta. "This will be the first time the sword will be awarded to the CEO of a Georgia company primarily on the basis of investment into the United Kingdom rather than on a trade and export basis. TSYS' investment will have benefits both domestically as well as in the United Kingdom through the creation of jobs and wealth in the U.K.," Whitley said.

"I’m delighted to accept this award on behalf of the more than 4,500 dedicated TSYS team members who work hard everyday to make our international expansion goals a reality," said Ussery. "We are pleased to have a presence in the United Kingdom and to offer career opportunities as we help improve the quality of life there. Furthermore, this award affirms that our international strategy is working, and we look forward to revenues from our international operations contributing 20 percent to overall revenues by 2003," he continued.

TSYS’ U.K. milestones:

  • September 1999 – Opens European branch office in Uxbridge, outside of London, England
  • January 2000 – Joins Global Platform, a cross-industry membership organization created to advance standards for smart card growth
  • May 2000 – Opens European Data Centre in Harrogate, England
  • August 2000 – Signs The Royal Bank of Scotland Group, plc, (formerly Royal Bank of Scotland and National Westminster) one of the largest issuers in the United Kingdom, to process its seven million accounts
  • December 2000 – Opens Customer Care Center in York, England
  • December 2000 – Signs Allied Irish Banks, plc, the largest bank in Ireland, to process 500,000 accounts
  • April 2001 – Currently employs approximately 80 U.S. and U.K. individuals throughout all U.K. locations
  • May 2001 – Began phased conversion of more than 7.5 million European accounts

About Atlanta British American Business Group

With some 500 members, the Atlanta BABG offers unparalleled resources for doing business on both sides of the Atlantic. Since its inception 20 years ago, and during its growth to today’s status as the largest international group in the southeast, the BABG has dedicated itself to one goal fostering and nurturing business contacts between the U. S. and the U.K.

About Invest UK

Invest UK is the only investment agency covering the whole of the U.K. It helps U. S. companies set up or expand business from a British base quickly and smoothly. Over 5,600 US companies have already found the U.K. the most competitive operations base in Europe.

About TSYS (www.tsys.com)

TSYS brings integrity and innovation to the world of electronic payments. TSYS serves as the integral link between buyers and sellers in the rapidly evolving universe of electronic payments. With almost 200 million accounts on file, TSYS makes it possible for millions of consumers to use their credit, debit, stored value, commercial, chip and retail cards anytime, anywhere through any medium or portal. TSYS and its family of companies offer a full range of acquiring and issuing services from accepting electronic payments for goods and services, to credit applications and collections. Based in Columbus, Ga., TSYS (NYSE: "TSS") processes for 21 countries, in 11 currencies, in three languages and maintains operations in Canada, Mexico, Japan and the United Kingdom. TSYS is an 80.8 percent-owned subsidiary of Synovus Financial Corp. (NYSE: "SNV") (www.synovus.com), No. 8 on FORTUNE magazine’s list of "The 100 Best Companies To Work For" in 2001. For more information, contact news@tsys.com.

Contacts:
Danita Gibson-Lloyd
Corporate Communications Director
ph. (706) 649-5578
dglloyd@tsys.com

Glen Whitley
Vice Consul-Investments
ph. (404) 954-7730
glen.whitley@fco.gov.UK

Linda Willoughby
Sr. Communications Specialist
ph. (706) 644-9423
lwilloug@tsys.com