Business Editors

    WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 16, 1999--

    ForwardTrak(TM) Developed in Partnership with U.S. Postal Service
    to Meet New "Move Update Requirement"

    ForwardTrak, a new technology from Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI), saves money for companies by helping them identify and change outdated addresses before they mail, thereby reducing the amount of undeliverable mail, and efficiently satisfying new U.S. Postal Service (USPS) regulations, Paul Greene, Executive Director, Pitney Bowes Software Systems, said today at a breakfast briefing for the postal industry.

ForwardTrak was developed specifically to interface with the Postal Service's FASTforward(TM) system, which houses eight months of the most recent change of address data. ForwardTrak allows companies to electronically identify and correct outdated customer address lists prior to mailing and ensures that mailings meet the USPS' Move Update Requirement. The Move Update Requirement specifies that addresses used on presorted or automation rate First-Class mail must have been updated within six months preceding the date of the mailing. Even more important, the update must be made using a USPS-approved address updating method. If the Move Update Requirement is not met, a company that relies on bulk mailings may no longer qualify for postal discounts.

"When the Postal Service's FASTforward technology is integrated into commercial products like ForwardTrak it is a win-win business solution. This access improves the address quality of the intended recipient, and results in better delivery by the USPS," said Michael Murphy, Manager, Address Management, USPS, at the briefing entitled, "The Hidden Costs of Returned Mail," held at the Willard Hotel in downtown Washington, D.C.

ForwardTrak is the first in-house software solution to electronically update customer information accessing the USPS FASTforward database. By maintaining customer lists in-house, companies maintain privacy and control of sensitive customer information and allows them to integrate this process within existing mail preparation processes, said Greene.

"With approximately 17 percent of the US population changing addresses every year, the USPS receives over 41 million change of address orders each year. Pitney Bowes' new technology allows our clients to instantly access the USPS database and correct address information before a letter is sent to the wrong address - not after it has been returned," Greene said. "ForwardTrak is another example of how Pitney Bowes continuously develops new products that make it easier, faster, and more cost-effective to use the postal network."

As part of its on-going educational process, geared toward generating dialogue with industry leaders on postal technology enhancements, Pitney Bowes plans to send a newly-produced videotape, also entitled "The Hidden Costs of Returned Mail," to Customer Postal Councils around the country, Greene added. The videotape will be accompanied by a survey developed by Pitney Bowes that will help companies calculate how much returned mail is costing, and forecast the impact of returned mail on their bottom line.

Pitney Bowes Inc. is a $4.2 billion global provider of informed mail and messaging management. For more information about Pitney Bowes' full range of services and products, please visit www.pitneybowes.com or call 1-800-640-7058.

     --30--rc/ny*

     CONTACT: Pitney Bowes Inc.
              Gary Battaglia, 203/351-6984

     KEYWORD: DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA CONNECTICUT
     INDUSTRY KEYWORD: BANKING GOVERNMENT COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS COMED