Firethorn Selected as CU*Answers' Mobile Financial Services Provider

ATLANTA and GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Oct. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Firethorn Holdings, LLC, a Qualcomm company (Nasdaq: QCOM), and CU*Answers today announced the addition of CU*Answers to its emerging list of financial partners.  Representing 1.5 million members and $10 billion in assets, CU*Answers provides services to more than 175 credit unions nationally, further positioning Firethorn as a leading supplier of mobile financial services for the nation's top credit unions.  The Credit Union Service Organization (CUSO) will begin offering Firethorn's mobile application to its clients beginning in late 2010 to complement their existing mobile web banking offerings that were released to credit unions earlier this year.

"Advancements in mobile banking are driving an increase in customer loyalty and retention for financial institutions," said Rocco Fabiano, president of Firethorn Holdings.  "We are excited to help evolve CU*Answers' mobile strategy as it continues its tradition of providing members with the best possible experience."

"For 40 years, we have focused on offering customized services to our credit unions," said Randy Karnes, chief executive officer of CU*Answers.  "Firethorn's front-end application provides members with the freedom to choose their preferred access method of managing their personal finances."

The collaborative agreement between Firethorn and CU*Answers will enable CU*Answers members to manage their finances through Firethorn's application platform and upcoming Short Message Service (SMS) solution, and adds the additional functionality of mobile bill payment if offered by the credit union.  The new mobile banking platform will give members the freedom to access accounts conveniently on the go, using comprehensive encryption services.  Users can conveniently perform the following functions from their mobile device:

• View account balances and details for savings, checking, certificates, loans and credit cards
• View pending transactions
• Perform instant transfers between accounts

About CU*Answers

CU*Answers was founded 40 years ago and is located in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  CU*Answers offers a wide variety of services for credit unions including its flagship CU*BASE Processing System in both Online (ASP) and In-house environment, Electronic Check Processing and a wide variety of Self-Service products featured by It's Me 247 Online Banking, and newly offered Mobile Banking.  CU*Answers provides combined services to over 75 credit unions nationally representing nearly 1.5 million members and $10 billion in credit union assets.  For more information about how "We Make Credit Unions Go," please visit CU*Answers at www.cuanswers.com.

About Firethorn Holdings

Firethorn Holdings, LLC is an important participant in the mobile commerce ecosystem. With its mobile domain expertise, Firethorn is creating a fresh and exciting mobile revenue channel that will bridge relationships among consumers, retailers, wireless carriers and financial institutions.  Firethorn's innovative technology creates easily accessible, branded and personalized mobile commerce channels that give consumers access to their accounts, offers and transactions while on the go.  For more information about Firethorn, visit www.firethorn.com.

Firethorn is a registered trademark of Firethorn Holdings, LLC.  Qualcomm is a registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated.   All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Firethorn Holdings, LLC; CU*Answers