OPEN from American Express® Forges Strategic Card Relationships With Harris, BankAtlantic to Serve Small-Business Customers

OPEN from American Express® just announced that it's partnered with two large regional banks to offer its products to Harris and BankAtlantic small-business customers.

Harris
OPEN's relationship with Harris marks the first agent bank marketing agreement in the Chicago area. The exclusive agreement calls for the companies to jointly market small-business charge and credit cards that carry the Harris and American Express brands. Beginning in late September, OPEN will offer a suite of co-branded Cards through Harris' 230-plus branches in Chicago and Indiana.

"Harris is a respected and well-known financial institution with an impressive customer base, and we are pleased to serve as their new, exclusive small-business credit card issuer," said Raymond Joabar, Senior Vice President, OPEN from American Express. "This new relationship brings together the strength of OPEN and Harris to link small-business owners with the financial tools and resources they need to help them grow their businesses."

"We are delighted to join with American Express to add the industry-leading, small-business credit-card solution to our robust customer offering of products and services," said Peter McNitt, Vice Chairman and Head of Business Banking, Harris. "In addition to the benefits a business credit card offers in terms of simplifying accounting, I know our customers will appreciate the purchasing power, payment flexibility, cash rebates, travel rewards and savings program that only OPEN offers."

Through Harris, small-business owners are eligible to apply for the SimplyCash[SM] Business Card, which automatically offers up to 5% cash back annually on gas, office supplies, and wireless purchases, plus 1% on virtually all other purchases. In addition, they can apply for the Business Gold Rewards Card and Business Platinum Card®, which offers Cardmembers automatic enrollment in the Membership Rewards® program from American Express, to earn valuable rewards points toward travel, dining, entertainment and retail purchases.

All three Cards include access to the OPEN Savings® program, which gives Cardmembers automatic savings when using their Card for purchases with partners such as FedEx Kinkos®, Hertz®, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts®, Delta Airlines®, JetBlue Airways® and more.

Under the agreement, OPEN from American Express will issue the new Cards and service the accounts. Harris and OPEN will market the Cards to small-business owners through the bank's branch network, on-line, direct mail, and inbound telemarketing channels.

OPEN is a leading issuer of small business credit and charge card products in the United States. With $42 billion in assets and $29 billion in deposits, Harris is the second-largest bank based on branches in the Chicago market. Additionally, Harris has affiliated wealth management offices in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Virginia and Washington, and will also offer the cards in those locations.

BankAtlantic
In light of its new relationship with OPEN from American Express®, BankAtlantic will be the first financial institution in Florida to offer American Express® Business Cards. The agent bank agreement calls for the companies to jointly market small business charge and credit cards that carry the BankAtlantic and American Express brands.

Beginning this month, the companies will market two co-branded Cards to BankAtlantic's small business customers in nearly 100 stores in Florida. BankAtlantic stores are located in Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Martin, and St. Lucie counties, as well as the Tampa Bay and Orlando markets.

BankAtlantic's small-business customers will be eligible to apply for the Business Gold Rewards Card, as well as the SimplyCash[SM] Business Card. American Express will issue the new Cards and service the accounts. BankAtlantic and OPEN from American Express will market the Cards through BankAtlantic's in-store, direct mail, telemarketing and online channels. The agent bank alliance brings together OPEN from American Express with one of the largest financial institutions based in the state of Florida. BankAtlantic holds assets of more than $6 billion.

"Our partnership with BankAtlantic allows us to broaden our reach to additional Cardmembers and share our industry-leading products and capabilities with small business customers in Florida," said Joabar. "BankAtlantic is an excellent partner for OPEN, and our alliance will allow small business customers to enjoy best-in-class, co-branded card products from two trusted brands."

"We believe these products are an excellent complement to BankAtlantic's existing business product offerings," said Nona Wilgus, Senior Vice President from BankAtlantic. "BankAtlantic is excited to partner with American Express and provide these offerings to our customers."

About OPEN from American Express
OPEN is the American Express team dedicated exclusively to the success of small-business owners and their companies. The OPEN Team supports business owners with unparalleled service. With tailored products and services, the team delivers purchasing power, flexibility, control and rewards to help customers run their business.

Specifically, business owner-customers can leverage an enhanced set of products, tools, services and savings -- including charge and credit cards, convenient access to working capital, robust online account management capabilities, and savings on business services from an expanded lineup of partners. To obtain more information about OPEN, visit www.OPEN.com, or call 1-800-NOW-OPEN to apply for a Card or loan.

GoodBiz113 ad partner American Express Company [www.americanexpress.com] is a leading global payments, network and travel company founded in 1850.

Source: American Express
____________________

Thank Clients. Reward Employees. Give American Express® Gift Cards.

Life is good® Adds Inspiring Book to Its Growing Catalog; Profits Support Kids Foundation

Attention, shoppers! GoodBiz113 profilee Life is good® ["Life is good® Festivals Unite Communities, Help Kids Face Unfair Challenges"] has just added a new product to its ever-growing catalog of high-quality merchandise: a book. Yep, while you're relaxing in your easy chair -- clad in your favorite LIG T-shirt, lounge pants and slippers, and sipping from your trusty LIG mug -- you can enjoy timeless pearls of wit and wisdom from Jake and Rocket, LIG's ubiquitous characters.

This hardcover gift book, measuring a handy 7 inches by 7 inches, is packed with 132 full-color pages, and priced at just $20. The best part? LIG will donate 100% of its profit from the sale of this book to the Life is good Kids Foundation, established to help children facing unfair challenges.

Know someone who's heading off to college? Want the perfect host/hostess gift for those generous folks who welcomed your family to their cabin this summer? Stocking up holiday gifts already? Surf on over to LIG's online store: http://www.lifeisgood.com/
____________________

The American Express SimplyCash(SM) Business Card. Earn 5% cash back on gas, wireless and office supplies -- plus 1% cash back on virtually everything else! Apply Now!

American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation Select Chicago Metro Area as Second Region for Partners in Preservation Program

Yesterday, GoodBiz113 ad partner American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced that the Chicagoland metro area was chosen as the next region for the community-based Partners in Preservation initiative.

Following on the heels of the inaugural San Francisco Bay Area Initiative, the Chicago metro area will be the second region to receive $1 million in funding from American Express under the initiative. The Chicago community will be invited to participate in the program by voting for their favorite landmark to ultimately choose the winning historic site from a list of contenders.

Launched in 2006, the Partners in Preservation program is a historic initiative in which American Express, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, pledged $5 million over a five-year period toward preserving historic sites in the United States.

In September 2006, American Express allocated $1 million in preservation grants to thirteen sites in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 2006 Bay Area grant recipients continue to make progress in achieving their preservation goals. Some sites have already broken ground, while others are finalizing their planning to ensure successful project completion in 2008.

The Partners in Preservation initiative is designed to benefit local historical sites and involves community participation in a fun and engaging online model to choose the winning historic site.

"American Express created the Partners in Preservation program to underscore the importance of preservation -- not only of buildings but of culture and history -- and to promote travel and tourism around the country," said Tim McClimon, president and CEO of the American Express Foundation. "We are happy to announce that Chicagoland will be the second region to benefit from our online philanthropic program, and are confident that Chicagoans will embrace the program as passionately and sincerely as the Bay Area community did."

"Chicago has always prided itself -- and rightly so -- on its rich history, innovative buildings and landscapes," said David Brown, executive vice president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "It is a perfect place for our Partners in Preservation initiative. Every phase of the city's past is reflected in the historic places that enrich and enliven its neighborhoods. These are the places that Chicagoans love, and we're delighted to work with American Express and the Chicago community to identify and restore the best of them."

The Chicagoland program will be similar to the San Francisco Bay Area effort. American Express, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will identify historic sites throughout the metro area that reflect the region's rich and diverse cultural heritage to be candidates for preservation grants.

In September, the Partners in Preservation team will reveal the site candidates and the public will be invited to vote online for the landmarks they would like to see win and receive funding for preservation. American Express will also announce the members of a special Advisory Committee comprised of Chicago area dignitaries to help guide American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation in selecting the winning sites. Further details around the Chicago program, timing, dates, sites and online voting will be announced in September.

American Express's partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation seeks to increase public awareness of the importance of historic and environmental conservation in the United States; preserve American historic and cultural landmarks; and strengthen local communities through preservation efforts.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a U.S. nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring America's historic landmarks and communities.

More information about the Partners in Preservation program and status of the San Francisco Bay Area project grant recipients can be found at http://www.partnersinpreservation.com/.

American Express and Historic Preservation
American Express [http://www.americanexpress.com] is a leading global payments, network and travel company founded in 1850.

Historic preservation has long been the hallmark of American Express' involvement in the community, reflecting its recognition of the contribution of sites and monuments to a sense of national and local identity and the role that their preservation can play in attracting visitors and revitalizing neighborhoods:

* As early as 1983, American Express launched a cause-related marketing effort that raised $1.7 million for the preservation of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island;

* From 1996 to 2005, American Express contributed more than $10 million to help preserve 119 historic sites in 59 countries from the World Monuments Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites; and

* In June 2006, the company announced the American Express Partners in Preservation initiative, with the National Trust for Historic Preservation as its partner in the U.S., and the World Monuments Fund as its partner internationally.

About the National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation [http://www.nationaltrust.org] is a private, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to saving historic places and revitalizing America's communities.

Recipient of the National Humanities Medal, the National Trust for Historic Preservation was founded in 1949, and provides leadership, education, advocacy and resources to protect the irreplaceable places that tell America's story. Staff at the Washington, D.C., headquarters, six regional offices and 28 historic sites work with more than 270,000 members and thousands of preservation groups in all 50 states.

Source: American Express
____________________

Thank Clients. Reward Employees. Give American Express® Gift Cards.