Despite Impressive Improvements in Corporate Accounting Systems, Analyst Firm Estimates that US Businesses Overpaid Suppliers in Excess of $5 Billion in 2005

December 30, 2005 Charlotte – PayStream Advisors, Inc. announces the release of its survey of corporate overpayments which details how U.S. based businesses overpaid suppliers by $5.25 billion in 2005, up 5 percent from 2004.

In its report, Recovery Audit Services: It’s Your Money PayStream’s analysts highlight the expanding market for recovery audit services (RAS) which help companies recoup duplicate and erroneous supplier payments. The recovery audit industry, little known outside of the world of corporate financial management, continues to flourish despite recent improvements in accounting systems and audit processes such as those mandated by Sarbanes-Oxley regulations.

PayStream’s analysts estimate that recovery audit industry recovered $3 billion of erroneous payments in 2005, leaving nearly $2.25 billion in errors undetected and uncollected. Henry Ijams, Managing Director of the Charlotte based firm, noted that “U.S. businesses continue to suffer from lost profits due to overpayments because they are unable to identify, recover and repair faulty processes in their business operation.”

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems such as SAP and Oracle do little to stem the tide. Despite a near record $20 billion spent on corporate accounting systems in 2005, corporate overpayments continue to bleed profits from companies in nearly every industry. “Due to the complexity of corporate purchasing activities, nearly all businesses suffer payment errors” said Ijams.

PayStream Advisors analysts study providers of financial products, services and technology and write reports to help finance managers make purchasing and automation decisions. The Recovery Audit Services (RAS) report is for managers who want to learn about opportunities in recovery audits and are interested in evaluating service providers for their Accounts Payable and Purchasing departments yet need help identifying appropriate vendors and solutions for further investigation. In addition to an overview of recovery audit services, the report includes profiles of five recovery audit firms—Advantium, APEX Analytics, Business Strategy, Inc., Connolly Consulting and PRG-Schultz—and provides valuable insights into the industry, these firms and recovery audit trends.

Corporate finance, treasury, accounts payable and procurement professionals can use PayStream’s findings in support of their search for a suitable RAS provider and the lost profits they are most certain to uncover and collect. The RAS firms profiled in this report provide a comprehensive range of audit services including retail, commercial, healthcare, contract compliance audits, statement audits, sales and use tax audits, escheatment review and real estate lease audits. Many of these providers also sell recovery audit software. PayStream Advisors sees a promising future for the RAS industry as a whole.

PayStream Advisors periodically hosts free Web seminars to educate corporate managers about how financial automation tools can be used to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and enhance service. To find out how you can attend a complimentary Web seminar, please visit www.paystreamadvisors.com.

About PayStream Advisors, Inc.

PayStream Advisors is a technology research and consulting firm that improves the way organizations plan, evaluate, and select financial automation technologies to achieve their business objectives. PayStream Advisors assists clients in sorting through the growing complexities of services related to financial automation with the goal of making objective, analytical, and actionable recommendations. Wherever financial automation is an issue, PayStream Advisors is there to help. For more information, call (704) 523-7357 or visit us on the Web at www.paystreamadvisors.com .