Callata & Wouters customer National Savings & Investment wins Celent Model Bank Award 2010; Following the successful deployment of Callata & Wouters’ Thaler solution, National Savings & Investment wins award for innovation and insight

Brussels, -- Callata & Wouters, a provider of core banking and multi-channel distribution solutions, is pleased to announce its customer, National Savings and Investment (NS&I), one of the largest savings providers in the United Kingdom, has been awarded the Celent Model Bank Award 2010 under the banner of 'Innovation and Insight', following the implementation of Callata and Wouters' Thaler core banking infrastructure.

Celent's Model Bank Award is designed to illustrate best practice use of IT by showcasing innovative and exemplary efforts within the industry. NS&I was awarded this status following the successful modernisation of their legacy systems through a two stage process. Until 1999, most NS&I transactions were paper-based and handled face-to-face at the local Post Office or by mail. NS&I implemented Callata & Wouters' flagship product, Thaler for Retail Banking, to modernise its processes for customer management, account management, payments and product configuration and has evolved into a multi-channel institution that operates through the internet, call centres, post and the Post Office.

During the first phase of modernisation in 2000-2001, NS&I brought all 13 legacy systems onto a single platform. Callata and Wouters' Thaler core banking infrastructure was introduced and data involving over one billion individual customer records was migrated onto a single system.

The second phase of the modernisation programme began in 2008 and included the installation of an upgraded version of Thaler, based on a multi-channel, service-oriented architecture (SOA), in 2009. As a result of this deployment, NS&I have simplified its current product offerings, increased the transfer of customer-facing processes to more cost-effective channels and deployed new strategies for customer retention.

Marc de Groote, CEO, Callata & Wouters comments "As banks look to provide their customers with market leading services in order to differentiate themselves from their competition, many banks are realising the importance of upgrading their core banking infrastructure. NS&I's success in winning this award proves the value add that a modern, scalable and flexible infrastructure can bring."

About Callata & Wouters

Callata & Wouters is a leading provider of innovative IT solutions and services to retail, private and direct banks. The company's success is built on the quality of its products, its focus on the financial industry, and extensive experience with customers that include international institutions such as BNP-Paribas, Rabobank, Record Bank ING, and Commonwealth Bank of Australia. The company's skilled personnel and strong partnerships have further contributed to a well-established reputation for quality and professionalism.

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