Renasant Bank Hits Milestone Using Goldleaf's Web Design and Hosting Solution

In Five Months, Bank Secures $1 Million in Online Account Opening Deposits


ATLANTA, April 23, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Goldleaf Financial Solutions Inc. (Nasdaq:GFSI), a provider of integrated technology-based solutions designed to improve the performance of financial institutions, announced that Tupelo, Miss.-based Renasant Bank implemented Goldleaf's Web Design and Hosting Solution to facilitate online account openings and has since secured more than $1 million in online deposits.

The bank, which went live with the Web solution in May 2008, initially wanted to drive more traffic to its Web site while also tightening the cohesiveness of its brand across all channels of the enterprise. In addition, it was important that the new site easily communicate the various products and services offered by the bank, as well as enable employees to use the site as an internal reference point to leverage cross-sell opportunities. Once these milestones were met, the bank began allowing online account openings, which started in November 2008. Within five months, the growth of the bank's online channel and subsequent deposit growth has been exceptional, something bank executives attribute to the bank's stability.

"We began online account openings without much fanfare -- we did not do a lot of advertising or marketing," said Stratton Huggins, VP of marketing for Renasant, "and it's only been in the last few weeks that we engaged in search engine marketing advertising. The unassisted growth has been incredible, and we really believe that was largely due to the timing in delivering this product. In today's market, people are looking for smaller banks with big bank technology -- they want a hometown bank with superior service offerings. This is the specific niche in which we play as we deliver higher service levels with the same technology as larger financial institutions. It's the exact value proposition that consumers are looking for, and it's clearly driven the success of our program."

According to Tommy Sanderson, assistant vice president of Renasant, the bank has some aggressive marketing plans to augment its existing search engine marketing efforts. In addition to creating specific landing pages, the bank has also begun to implement a strategic marketing campaign, the bulk of which will promote the bank's online account products. The second phase will be the development of inventive programs to attract a broader segment of the market.

"There's no doubt that it's a younger audience who is more apt to use billpay or open accounts online," Sanderson said. "This audience tends to be more Internet savvy and wants the convenience of banking online. Moving forward, we'd like to develop a campaign and incentives that will attract a larger demographic, although we will continue to target young professionals through a variety of methods, including leveraging social networking sites and eco-friendly campaigns."

Since December 2008, the bank has seen significant spikes in its Web traffic, which has more than tripled since going live with the Goldleaf solution. Sanderson and Huggins credit this growth to the improved site, as well as the comprehensive campaigns that enabled the bank to drive people online to get information on the bank's products and services.

Goldleaf EVP, Todd Shiver, said, "Renasant has been extremely strategic in its approach to Web site design and functionality. With virtually little to no marketing, in five months the bank has acquired $1 million in deposits by facilitating the opening of accounts online. That speaks not only to the bank's deep understanding of its customer base, but also the need to create a safe, secure platform for customers to perform banking activities. Being a part of the process, and offering products and services that can significantly impact a bank's bottom line is very rewarding. Simplifying and enhancing the deposit acquisition process is critical for banks in today's market -- the results that Renasant has seen show why Goldleaf is a leader in Web site design and hosting for hundreds of institutions across the country."

About Goldleaf

Goldleaf Financial Solutions, Inc. offers a strategic suite of integrated technology and payment processing solutions to financial solutions of all sizes. Goldleaf's products and services enable financial institutions to succeed in today's competitive market, solidify their trusted financial relationships, expand their presence and improve profitability through the efficient use of technology. For more information about Goldleaf and its solutions, please visit the company at www.goldleaf.com.

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