Regional Supermarket Chains Begin Offering Biometric Check Cashing Services

Bruno's and Raley's Join Hundreds of Merchants Nationwide in Reducing Check Fraud and Increasing Customer Service and Loyalty

Herndon, VA — November 29, 2004

Biometric payments leader BioPay, LLC announced today that Bruno's Supermarkets and Raley's Family of Fine Stores will begin using Paycheck Secure, the nation's most popular biometric check cashing system. Joining more than 500 other merchants across the United States, the supermarket chains will soon be able to reduce check fraud and enhance customer service by using Paycheck Secure. Customers at both chains can begin using Paycheck Secure by the end of November.

Bruno's Supermarkets, based in Birmingham, Alabama, will begin offering Paycheck Secure at 37 of its 185 stores in Birmingham and its surrounding suburbs. West Sacramento, California-based Raley's will also offer Paycheck Secure in nine stores in Albuquerque and Taos, New Mexico. The two companies join hundreds of other regional retailers already using Paycheck Secure, including BI-LO in the southeast, Malone's Supermarkets throughout Texas, and Marsh Supermarkets in the Midwest, as well as numerous others across the nation.

"Paycheck Secure is all about giving convenience back to the customer," said Tim Robinson, president of BioPay. "Prestigious supermarket retailers can now enhance the customer experience while helping drive down losses associated with check fraud. It's a win-win for everyone."

About Paycheck Secure

Paycheck Secure makes it quick and easy for customers to cash payroll checks. Here's how: Paycheck Secure uses biometric technology to electronically capture a customer's finger image, store a template of the image, and then record check transactions associated with that person. When a subsequent check is presented, the customer places their finger on the biometric reader and they are quickly identified. If they have positive check cashing history, they can quickly cash their check and be on their way. No customer ID is required. It's that easy.

For merchants, Paycheck Secure helps stop check fraud. For instance, if a customer has a negative check cashing history with any Paycheck Secure merchant in the country, advanced alert mechanisms warn the clerk, enabling the transaction to be declined before it is processed, saving money that may have been lost on a fraudulent transaction.

To date, Paycheck Secure has been used to successfully complete more than ten million transactions worth more than three billion dollars. In addition, more than one million consumers are enrolled in Paycheck Secure, making it the most widely used retail biometric system in the nation.

About Bruno's Supermarkets

Bruno's Supermarkets is a subsidiary of AholdUSA and is based in Birmingham, Alabama, and has nearly 200 locations. Bruno's is one of the nation's premier regional supermarket chains with stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Mississippi. In addition, Bruno's runs multiple liquor stores. To learn more about Bruno's Supermarkets, please visit www.brunos.com.

About Raley's

Raley's is a privately owned supermarket chain with headquarters in West Sacramento, California. The company is comprised of four chains — Raley's, Bel Air Markets, Nob Hill Foods and Food Source — located in Northern California, Nevada and New Mexico.

About BioPay, LLC

Since 1999, BioPay has been providing smart, secure methods for processing financial transactions. Its Paycheck Secure systems help businesses substantially reduce fraud and give consumers a convenient method for cashing checks. BioPay's payment service offers merchants a low-cost form of customer payment and gives consumers a secure, fast and convenient way to pay for purchases. BioPay's patent-pending systems for merchants, banks and financial service organizations have been implemented across the nation. BioPay's value to consumers and merchants has created the nation's largest commercial electronic biometric database. For more information on BioPay and its market-leading products please visit www.biopay.com.