TSYS Debt Management Chairman Richard de Mayo To Retire
Columbus, Ga., Feb. 12, 2003 - TSYS Debt Management (TDM) today announced the retirement of its Chairman of the Board, Richard de Mayo, effective March 31. De Mayo intends to return to the private practice of law.
Before his appointment at TDM, de Mayo began practicing law with the law firm of Howard, Wiggins & Smith in Atlanta, where he worked for five years. As a part of his early practice of law, he represented creditors as well as a large collections agency, and thus he made appearances in the state courts throughout Georgia for the first five years of his practice. He also served as special assistant attorney general for the State of Georgia.
In 1979, de Mayo merged his law practice to form Wallace & de Mayo, P.C. He has almost 30 years of legal experience and has served on numerous bar committees. Currently, de Mayo serves on the Board of Visitors, Emory University; Board of Advisors, George West Mental Health Foundation; Board of Visitors, Camp Seafarer/Camp Seagull; Board of Directors, Northern Kenya Wildlife Trust; Member, State of Georgia Judicial Nominating Commission; Officer, Old War Horse Lawyers Association; Member, American Bar Association, Consumer Finance Committee.
"Under Richard's direction, TDM has seen tremendous growth. In 1979, the company began with two team members, and today it has grown to more than 300 and has also become the largest legal network and the largest bankruptcy management company in the United States. Although we will greatly miss Richard and his contributions to TSYS, his legacy will continue to thrive in the industry through TDM. We wish the best of luck to Richard and his family in his retirement. Chuck Kinney, TDM president and CEO, will continue to lead the company's strategic direction and daily operations," said Richard W. Ussery, TSYS CEO and Chairman of the Board.
In 1999, Synovus acquired the debt collection and bankruptcy management business offered by Wallace & de Mayo. After the acquisition, the company was named TSYS Debt Management, and de Mayo became president and CEO until he was named Chairman of the Board in 2001. TDM became a wholly owned subsidiary of TSYS in 2002.
About TSYS Debt Management
With the most sophisticated collections applications in the industry, TSYS Debt ManagementSM (TDM), a wholly owned subsidiary of TSYS, offers clients low-cost, high-value early out and recovery collections and agency management, bankruptcy process and legal account management, and skip tracing services. Located in Atlanta, Ga., TDM handles any or all portions of a client's collections business.
TDM provides fully integrated technology offerings like the National Attorney Network (NAN), its legal management unit, which is the nation's largest legal collections network, serving retailers, banks and finance companies. NAN facilitates and manages the placement of legal collection cases at the account level from the creditor to the collection law firm.
About TSYS
TSYS (NYSE: TSS) (www.tsys.com) brings integrity and innovation to the world of electronic payment services as the integral link between buyers and sellers in this rapidly evolving universe. Synovus (NYSE: SNV) owns an 81-percent interest in TSYS. For more information, contact news@tsys.com.
Contacts:
Danita Gibson-Lloyd
Media Relations
706.649.5578
dglloyd@tsys.com