Elavon Acquires Deal with Hard Rock Cafe Brand

Elavon, a wholly owned subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB) and a leading global acquirer announced today that the brand has signed a five year agreement with Hard Rock International to provide service to all of their cafe and retail locations across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.

Elavon’s solution provides a single source for credit and debit payments, from authorization to funding, and streamlines payment security, industry compliance, financial reporting and reconciliation and support for Hard Rock International’s more than 96 merchant accounts in the brand’s cafes and Rock Shops across North America.

"Consolidating payments across our enterprise has been an integral part of our strategic plan this year,” said Tom Gispanski, Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Hard Rock International. "Elavon’s team of experienced solution engineers has made this transition smooth and seamless, and they are diligent in their determination to provide the kinds of cost-saving measures that consolidated processing can offer our business.”

"Hard Rock International’s North American enterprise is an exciting addition to Elavon’s merchant portfolio,” said Stuart C. Harvey, Jr., CEO at Elavon. "We look forward to working with them to provide high-value solutions that deliver operational and financial efficiencies to their business.”

About Elavon: Elavon’s Global Acquiring Solutions organization is a part of U.S. Bancorp. Elavon provides end-to-end payment processing services to more than one million merchants in the United States, Europe, Canada and Puerto Rico. Solutions include credit and debit card processing, electronic check services, gift cards, dynamic currency conversion, multi-currency support, and cross-border acquiring. Elavon’s services are marketed through multiple alliance partner channels including financial institutions, trade associations and ISOs. Elavon has solutions to meet the needs of merchants in specialized markets including small business, retail, hospitality/T&E, health care, education and the public sector. For more information visit www.elavon.com.

About Hard Rock International: With a total of 157 venues in 53 countries, including 127 cafes and 12 Hotels/Casinos, Hard Rock International is one of the world's most globally recognized brands. Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock owns the world's greatest collection of music memorabilia, which is displayed at its locations around the globe. Hard Rock is also known for its collectible fashion and music-related merchandise, Hard Rock Live performance venues and an award-winning website. In addition to the two flagship Seminole Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos in Tampa and Hollywood, Fla., Hard Rock Hotels/Casinos are located in Las Vegas, Biloxi, Orlando, Chicago, San Diego, Pattaya, Bali, Macau and Penang. Additional hotel and casino projects have been announced in; Singapore and Punta Cana, scheduled to open in 2010; Atlanta and Panama, both scheduled to open in 2012; and Hungary, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, scheduled to open in 2013. Hard Rock International is owned by Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment, Inc. For further details on Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos, visit www.hardrockhotels.com. For more information on Hard Rock International, visit www.hardrock.com.