Pennsylvania Bank Uses Voice Biometrics for Higher-Risk Transactions

April 26, 2006
Somerset Trust Co. turns to VoiceVerified for securing wire transfers

NEW HOPE, PA - April 25, 2006 - VoiceVerified, a provider of biometric verification technology and services for call/contact centers, banks, brokerages, agencies, merchants and employers, announces that it has been chosen by Somerset Trust Co., a Pennsylvania bank, to secure some of its higher risk transactions.

Somerset, Pa.-based Somerset Trust will use VoiceVerified's technology initially to secure wire transfers, and the bank envisions usage across all banking services requiring multi-factor authentication, including its call center, telephone, online and bill pay services. VoiceVerified's unique Point Service Provider (PSP) delivery model offers a natural and easy-to-implement solution to verify a person's identity, and will help the bank comply with the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council's (FFIEC) recent guidelines advocating multi-factor user authentication during electronic transactions.

"Our wire transfer process needs to be enhanced. We look forward to streamlining it with a process our customers will use and feel confident about," said Richard Stern, senior vice president and treasurer of Somerset Trust Co. "We are intrigued by the possibility of voice being the only method of authentication needed, beyond username/password, in the future; a single-user credential that can be used for every aspect of the customer relationship."

VoiceVerified will provide enrollment and verification services through its patent-pending PSP delivery model that helps businesses secure remote transactions, protect consumer data and combat identity fraud. During the verification process, a user is prompted to repeat five random numeric digits to create a voice sample that is compared to a previously enrolled voiceprint to determine a match.

"A person's voice is as unique as a fingerprint. We believe Somerset Trust's customers will feel secure using the VoiceVerified service, because it gives them a way to keep their information private with nothing to remember, nothing to lose and no worry of it being stolen," said Dave Shoemaker, senior vice president of sales at VoiceVerified. "We feel privileged to be working with Somerset Trust as an early partner in voice verification.

They've been a trusted proving ground for new technologies in the past, endearing them to their customers and solution providers alike."

The VoiceVerified service automates biometric verification for, contact centers, banks, brokerages, agencies, employers, merchants and organizations that must protect the identity and privacy of their consumers, employees and/or citizens. Delivered through a secure Point Service Provider (PSP) platform, the telephony-based service requires virtually no hardware, licensed software or modifications to existing systems. Non-intrusive, economical and accurate, VoiceVerified provides enterprises with a crucial layer of security to safeguard their corporate image, brand and consumer relationships. VoiceVerified is based in New Hope, PA, and grew through the acquisition and development of voice verification technologies. For more information, visit www.voiceverified.com.