HORSHAM, Pa., Dec. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- NCO Group, Inc. ("NCO" or the "Company"), a leading provider of business process outsourcing services, announced today the completion of the acquisition of the assets of Star Contact (BVI) Ltd. and Call Center-Telemarketing Pro-Panama, S.A. (together "Star Contact"), based in Panama City, Panama. Star Contact is Central America's leading provider of outsourced, multilingual contact center and customer care services to some of the world's best-known businesses. Joseph Fidanque, III, Star Contact's founder and President, will remain President of Star Contact and assume additional responsibilities as Managing Director of NCO's Latin American Operations.

Commenting on the acquisition, Michael J. Barrist, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "The Star Contact transaction presents NCO with a unique opportunity to continue our global call center expansion, and with Joe Fidanque spearheading our Latin American initiatives, we are poised to launch a complete service offering in Latin America that will include Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Accounts Receivable Management (ARM), and Purchased Debt."

Joseph Fidanque, III, commented on the transaction by stating that, "Star Contact, the first company to offer outsourced contact center services from Panama, is ideally suited to partner with NCO for expansion into Latin America. Star Contact's current mix of CRM services complements NCO's core competencies in Accounts Receivable Management and Purchased Debt offerings, and we are especially enthusiastic about the business opportunities in Latin America for these services. Mr. Fidanque also added, "A critical component to our success has been the quality of our employees and our management. Our unique corporate culture has allowed us to succeed in providing excellent services to leading multinational companies and achieve unparalleled client loyalty. NCO's global leadership will enable us to build upon our success and to profitably extend the NCO model to all the corners of Latin America."

Cypress Capital Advisors, LLC of Coral Gables, Florida, acted as financial advisors to Star Contact and Joseph Fidanque, III.

NCO Group, Inc. is a global provider of business process outsourcing services, primarily focused on accounts receivable management and customer relationship management. NCO provides services through 90 offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, the Philippines, the Caribbean and Panama.

For further information contact: NCO Group, Inc. (215) 441-3000 http://www.ncogroup.com/

CONTACT: NCO Group, Inc.: +1-215-441-3000

Web site: http://www.ncogroup.com/

• Best Effort SOA and the SOA Quality Star