Press Releases

SAN ANTONIO, TX – October 28, 2010 – Harland Clarke and ACTON Marketing have formed an alliance to help financial institutions strengthen their account acquisition efforts in order to build deposit growth.

Harland Clarke is a leading provider of payments, marketing and security solutions to more than 11,000 U.S. financial institutions. ACTON Marketing is an established direct marketing firm with unique account acquisition solutions based upon decades of proprietary market research.

Through the alliance, Harland Clarke will offer ACTON Marketing’s checking acquisition solutions to financial institutions nationwide. ACTON Marketing’s solutions will supplement Harland Clarke’s existing suite of data-driven and digital marketing solutions that help banks and credit unions acquire, onboard, cross-sell, and retain accounts.

“Our goal is to help our clients get the deposit growth results they seek while maximizing the return on their marketing investments,” said Harland Clarke’s Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing Jana Schmidt. “To accomplish this, we are continually building upon our time-tested marketing strategies with additional innovative and proven products and services. ACTON Marketing’s checking acquisition solutions fit our criteria and expand our portfolio of solutions for our clients.”

Research from ACTON Market Intelligence, the consumer research division of ACTON Marketing, shows that at any time 18 to 20 percent of consumers are shopping for a new financial institution. ACTON Marketing’s checking acquisition programs have successfully captured up to 75 percent of these shoppers for the company's clients. Its solution is comprehensive, offering a sophisticated modeling process, a broad and cost-effective targeting approach, training for bank branch staff, and mystery shopping to define opportunities for improving the account holder experience. ACTON Marketing’s solutions are easily scalable to serve financial institutions of all sizes.

Harland Clarke and Acton Marketing Create Alliance to Expand Account Acquisition Solutions for Financial Institutions

Harland Clarke Marketing Services’ portfolio is expansive, with a dozen solutions designed to address the evolving needs of account holders. Harland Clarke delivers integrated marketing campaigns focused on acquisition, onboarding, engagement, retention, and cross sell, utilizing extensive print, phone and email channels for campaign execution.

“Harland Clarke has built and maintained an outstanding reputation as a trusted resource to banks and credit unions for more than a century,” said ACTON Marketing Chief Executive Officer Brian Beach. “It has continually evolved to meet the changing needs of its customers and the industry. We’re confident that ACTON’s proven checking acquisition solutions will help Harland Clarke support the growth of its many clients. We’re excited to offer our expertise and be part of this effort.”

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About Harland Clarke Corp.
Harland Clarke Corp. (www.harlandclarke.com) is a leading provider of best-in-class integrated payment solutions, marketing services, security services, and retail products. It serves clients in multiple industries including financial services, retail, healthcare, insurance, and telecommunications; and ranging in size from major corporate brands and trade groups to micro-businesses and individual consumers. Within its payment solutions business, Harland Clarke provides needed products and services to approximately 11,000 banks, credit unions and major investment firms. Its Marketing Services line of business provides clients with a comprehensive suite of integrated marketing capabilities including database marketing, eMarketing, advanced analytics, B2B lead management, strategic services, and creative development. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, Harland Clarke employs more than 4,500 people nationwide and operates manufacturing and contact center facilities in multiple states and communities. Harland Clarke Corp. is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Harland Clarke Holdings Corp., which also owns Harland Financial Solutions, Inc. and Scantron Corp.

About ACTON Marketing
ACTON Marketing, LLC is a full-service direct marketing organization that provides complete direct mail marketing programs for financial organizations pursuing new account growth. ACTON Marketing was the first marketing company to promote free checking, beginning in 1982. Using decades of proprietary data, knowledge, and experience, ACTON Marketing continues to offer successful strategies, creative, and production services to clients nationwide. Besides its Checking Account Customer Acquisition program, ACTON offers strategies for New Movers marketing, pre-approved auto loans, and more. To learn more visit actonfs.com. ACTON Market Intelligence is the wholly-owned consumer research division of ACTON Marketing.