MIAMI – May 20, 2009 – Mazooma, the first real-time online debit payment solution for U.S. consumers, was named a Finalist today in the "Best New Company of the Year" category for The 2009 American Business Awards (ABAs).

The American Business Awards are the nation's premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit entries to the ABAs – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small.

"Despite very tough economic conditions, many organizations and individuals continue to perform well," said Michael Gallagher, founder and president of The Stevie Awards. "The results of the 2009 ABAs thus far are a testament to the resilience, creativity, and hard work of American organizations, executives, and workers."

More than 2,600 entries from companies of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted for consideration this year in more than 40 categories. Mazooma is among the top new companies of the year in the financial services industry in the U.S.

Mazooma offers the first real-time, non-credit eCommerce payment solution, easily and securely enabling online payments directly from consumer bank accounts. With Mazooma, millions of U.S. consumers can now pay for their eCommerce purchases instantly without the use of a credit card. Mazooma's fees to merchants are half the cost of typical online credit card transactions. Merchants receive instant authorization, allowing for immediate order fulfillment. Currently, Mazooma supports more than 70 percent of all bank accounts in the U.S. and has plans for international expansion.

"In the face of these tougher economic times, Mazooma is committed to merchants who want to reach a wider customer base and meet their customers' evolving needs," said Paul Phillipson, VP of Sales and Marketing at Mazooma. "By enabling consumers to make purchases without the use of credit, we're enabling today's consumer to embrace financial responsibility by spending what they can afford, without the pitfalls of credit-based solutions."

Members of the American Business Awards' Board of Distinguished Judges & Advisors and their staff will select Stevie Award winners in final judging that will continue through June 3. Finalists were chosen by business professionals nationwide during preliminary judging in April through early May.

Details about The American Business Awards and the list of Finalists in all categories are available at www.stevieawards.com/aba.

About Mazooma

Mazooma was founded to provide consumers and merchants with a safe, secure and convenient bank account payment channel for online shopping. The eCommerce industry has long recognized that current online payment systems do not provide a platform to service the millions of consumers who can't or won't use a credit card online. To serve this market, Mazooma developed a system that combines the security and comfort of online banking with the convenience and speed of a simple payment checkout process. Mazooma provides consumers with an instant and safe way to pay for online purchases directly from their bank accounts - authorized through the financial institutions they know and trust. Mazooma provides online merchants with a new way to reach customers and increase revenue, all while reducing their costs of payment processing. For more information, visit www.mazooma.com.

About The Stevie Awards

Stevie Awards are conferred in four programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, The Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Honoring companies of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about The Stevie Awards at www.stevieawards.com.

Supporting sponsors of The 2009 American Business Awards include High Performance Technologies Inc., John Hancock, Lifelock, RCN Corporation, Softpro, and Ultimate Software. Media sponsor is the Business TalkRadio Network. Localization partner of the 2009 Stevie Awards is Lionbridge.