BSRR Sierra Bancorp

PORTERVILLE, Calif., Dec. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bank of the Sierra (NASDAQ:BSRR) is pleased to announce a new revenue sharing alliance agreement with First Data Merchant Services Corporation, a subsidiary of First Data Corp. (NYSE:FDC). Beginning spring 2007, Bank of the Sierra's business customers will benefit from a complete and competitive Merchant Services solution. Bank of the Sierra will continue to offer complete merchant services with prompt credit for electronic drafts and state-of-the-art electronic draft capture equipment during the First Data conversion. Through the alliance, First Data will provide all merchant processing services on behalf of Bank of the Sierra. The agreement also expands Bank of the Sierra's merchant support network by adding dedicated First Data sales executives throughout Bank of the Sierra's markets. "The new partnership between Bank of the Sierra and First Data will help our merchant services customers save both time and money, while enjoying the latest in payment technology," stated Hope Attenhofer, Senior Vice President and Marketing Director. "We're delighted to be selected by Bank of the Sierra as their partner for merchant services and offer their clients an expanded portfolio of electronic payments and services," said Carl Mazzola, President, First Data Revenue Sharing Alliance Group. About Bank of the Sierra With over $1 billion in assets and strong performance ratios, Bank of the Sierra operates as the largest community independent bank headquartered in Southern San Joaquin Valley's Heartland. The bank serves 14 different communities with 20 branches, two Ag Centers and one SBA Loan Center. For more information visit the web site at http://www.bankofthesierra.com/ or call (888) 454-BANK. About First Data First Data Corp. (NYSE:FDC) is a leading provider of electronic commerce and payment solutions for businesses worldwide. Serving 4.6 million merchant locations, 1,900 card issuers and their customers, First Data powers the global economy by making it easy, fast and secure for people and businesses around the world to buy goods and services using virtually any form of payment. The company's portfolio of services and solutions includes merchant transaction processing services; credit, debit, private-label, gift, payroll and other prepaid card offerings; fraud protection and authentication solutions; electronic check acceptance services through TeleCheck; as well as Internet commerce and mobile payment solutions. The company's STAR Network offers PIN-secured debit acceptance at 2 million ATM and retail locations. For more information, visit http://www.firstdata.com/ . DATASOURCE: Bank of the Sierra CONTACT: Matthew Hessler, Public Relations Officer of Bank of the Sierra, +1-559-782-4900, or 1-888-454-BANK(2265) Web site: http://www.bankofthesierra.com/ http://www.firstdata.com/

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