Personal Finance Expert Jean Chatzky Teams with Visa USA to Promote Financial Education

Award-Winning Journalist and Best-Selling Author to Partner with Private Industry to Improve Financial Literacy

SAN FRANCISCO, April 24, 2007

Building on a decade-long commitment to improving the financial literacy of all Americans, Visa USA announced today an educational partnership with personal finance expert Jean Chatzky. A best-selling author who appears regularly on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and "The Today Show", as well as hosting a daily radio program on Oprah & Friends (XM 156), Ms. Chatzky will collaborate with Visa to promote financial literacy nationwide.

"Financial education is a vital life skill that far too many people today are lacking," said Ms. Chatzky. "By teaming up with Visa on their Practical Money Skills for Life and What's My Score financial education programs, I am confident that we can make a real difference in the lives of America's families."

"Jean Chatzky embodies financial empowerment," said Jason Alderman, director of Visa USA's financial education programs. "Jean's passion for personal finance education and her ability to work with both business and government make her a natural champion of financial literacy issues nationwide. We look forward to working with Jean to help America become more financially savvy."

Through this collaboration, Ms. Chatzky will help develop new financial education curriculum and interactive resources geared toward teachers, students, women and parents. She will also participate in a number of Practical Money Skills for Life (www.practicalmoneyskills.com) and What's My Score (www.whatsmyscore.org) outreach activities.

Among the activities Ms. Chatzky will participate in are meeting with Members of Congress in Washington, D.C. on April 24 as part of Financial Literacy Day on Capitol Hill, where Ms. Chatzky and lawmakers will discuss the importance of personal finance education. Ms. Chatzky will also moderate the Financial Literacy and Education Summit being co-sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and Visa on May 1. This Summit will bring together educators, policymakers, non-profits and private sector leaders to address key issues, such as mandating financial education in schools, and sharing best practices. This free summit will be simulcast live over the Internet at: www.practicalmoneyskills.com/summit2007.

Visa's Practical Money Skills for Life is a free, award-winning, teacher-tested and teacher-approved financial education program that is available in English, Spanish and Chinese. The program provides money management resources and lesson plans tailored for use at home, in the classroom or at work. It also contains an array of tips to help consumers prepare for life changing financial events, from planning for the fiscal realities of parenthood, to saving for college, to retirement. Visa also runs What's My Score, a leading higher education consumer awareness initiative that guides young adults through the ABC's of a FICO credit score, from factors that can lower a score, to ways on improving it.

About Jean Chatzky

Jean Chatzky, award-winning journalist, best-selling author and motivational speaker is a regular contributor to "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and to Oprah.com. She is also the financial editor for NBC's "Today Show," a contributing editor for Money and Travel & Leisure magazines and a columnist for The New York Daily News. She hosts a daily show on the Oprah & Friends channel, exclusively on XM Satellite Radio. She is the author of four books, including the best-sellers, "Pay It Down: From Debt to Wealth on $10 A Day" and "Make Money, Not Excuses: Wake Up, Take Charge, and Overcome Your Financial Fears Forever," published in September 2006.

She received the Clarion Award for her magazine columns from the Association of Women in Communications in 2002, has been nominated twice for National Magazine Awards and was named one of the best magazine columnists by the Chicago Tribune in 2003 and, most recently, won a Gracie Allen Award from the American Women in Radio and Television for her Harpo-produced XM Radio show.

About Visa

Visa USA is a leading payment brand and the nation's largest payment system, enabling banks to provide their consumers and business customers with a wide variety of payment alternatives tailored to meet their evolving needs. Visa USA is committed to increasing the choice, convenience, acceptance and security of Visa payments for all stakeholders in the payment system -- members, cardholders and merchants. Through its 13,382 member financial institutions, more than 510 million Visa-branded cards have been issued to cardholders in the United States.

Visa products currently generate more than $4 trillion in sales volume worldwide. Visa enjoys unsurpassed acceptance around the world. In addition, Visa/Plus is one of the world's largest global ATM networks, offering cash access in local currency in over 170 countries. For more information, visit www.corporate.visa.com.

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