Aite Group predicts that spending on clearance and settlement technology will continue to increase, reaching US$25 billion by 2009, up from US$18 billion in 2007.

Boston, MA, April 23, 2008 – A new report from Aite Group, LLC provides a valuable first step in researching and selecting a reconciliation solution system through profiling and comparing leading vendors. It also gives a coherent vision of trends in the reconciliation industry.

Rising volumes of exceptions - along with efforts to keep them at a manageable level - are a top concern of many operations managers. As such, firms are redesigning reconciliation systems, compliance systems and other exception-generating applications in order to better handle increasing volumes. The continued adoption of shared service centers is a leading driver behind the financial service industry's implementation and upgrade of reconciliation systems. Another key driver is the need to take an enterprise-wide approach to reconciliation, thus developing economies of scale while implementing best-practices in support of more stringent compliance requirements. Despite troubles that have shaken the sector in recent months, spending on reconciliation systems is expected to increase to US$25 billion by 2009, up from US$18 billion in 2007.

"Today, financial service firms are beginning to realize that the systems which were implemented a decade ago are now exactly that - decade-old systems," says Phillip Silitschanu, senior analyst with Aite Group and author of this report. "Transaction volumes which were unimaginable then are now commonplace, and processing times which would have sounded impossible are now de facto standards. Add to these new demands being placed on older systems - notably reconciliation systems - and the remarkably inexpensive cost of hardware, and it becomes clear why spending on reconciliation systems is on the rise."

The report profiles and compares what Aite Group considers to be eight of the most robust and well-designed reconciliation solution systems vendors: Advent, CheckFree, InfoSys, MileStone, Princeton, SmartStream, SS&C and SunGard.

This 96-page Impact Report contains 39 figures and 29 tables. Clients of Aite Group's Retail Securities " Investments and Institutional Securities " Investments services can download the report by clicking on the icon to the right.

Related Aite Group Research:

• The Evolution of Correspondent Clearing: Major Players are Finding their Niche
• Closing the Gaps: Correspondent Clearing Customer Segments and Functional Comparisons
• 2008 Capital Market IT Spending: Sanding the Edges in a Rough Risk Environment
• Top 10 Securities " Investments Trends for 2008
• Corporate Actions Systems Vendor Comparison

To purchase this report or
for additional information,
please contact:
Aite Group Sales
Tel: +1.617.338.6050
sales@aitegroup.com