---

Westar Commits to Private Label B2B Auto Lease Solution for AmSouth

8 February 2000

Westar Commits to Private Label B2B Auto Lease Solution for AmSouth

    BIRMINGHAM, Ala. and OLYMPIA, Wash., Feb. 7 -- Westar
Financial Services Incorporated (OTC Bulletin Board: WEST) today announced
that it will begin offering its model for delivering auto lease financing to
dealers and customers of AmSouth Bancorporation .  Fueled by
Westar's proprietary technology, the service will offer unparalleled service,
instantaneous credit approvals and superior pricing to auto dealers for their
prime customers.
    "Westar's leading edge decisioning and communications technologies,
coupled with its exclusive lease securitization capabilities, provide a unique
and complete system to support a growing automotive financing business,"
stated R. W. Christensen, Jr., Westar's President and CEO.  Westar's
technologies can be integrated into a financial institution's origination
process, allowing its credit officers to generate instant approvals, real time
reviews and split second access to Westar's auto finance specialists, when
needed.  Westar's proprietary securitization capabilities also provide
efficient and competitive access to capital for lease transactions, allowing
selected banks, credit unions or thrifts to offer highly competitive pricing.
    "We are delighted that our combination of technology and service meets our
institutional customers' need for quality, efficiency and precision," he
added.  Westar's system for administering lease and loan transactions for the
automotive industry is changing the face of auto financing.  Consumers benefit
from instant approvals and competitive financing alternatives, while auto
dealers benefit from having a range of popular financing alternatives that
provide virtually instant credit approval.  Westar has invested heavily to
design a program to answer the needs of financial institutions.  "We are
extremely pleased our private label model is being validated so quickly by the
marketplace," Christensen concluded.  "This represents a logical expansion of
our e-finance capabilities to add a unique business-to-business (B2B) channel
to our existing leadership position in the business-to-consumer (B2C) arena."
    The new program will be introduced in Florida in March, and is scheduled
to quickly expand.  When fully operational, Westar's Private Label origination
channel is expected to generate annual volumes in excess of $400 million.
    AmSouth Bancorporation is a regional bank holding company headquartered in
Birmingham with $43 billion in assets and approximately 660 branch banking
offices and 1,365 ATMs.  As the 19th largest bank holding company in the
nation, AmSouth has leading market positions in Tennessee, Florida, Alabama
and Mississippi, and also has branch presence in Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas,
Kentucky and Virginia.  AmSouth is a leader among regional banks in the
Southeast in several key business segments, including consumer and commercial
banking, small business banking, mortgage lending, equipment leasing, annuity
and mutual fund sales, and trust asset management.
    Westar Financial is the only publicly traded automobile lease finance
company focused solely on the prime-credit segment of the $530 billion auto
finance market.  Westar entered into automotive e-finance through a $1 billion
funding commitment to DriveOff.com, a 3rd generation e-commerce business model
allowing consumers to buy and finance new automobiles in a single electronic
transaction.  Through DriveOff.com, Westar completed the first entirely
electronic Internet automobile purchase and lease transaction in October 1999.
The company operates its Dealer Direct leasing program in the western U.S.,
and is rapidly expanding its consumer e-finance and business-to-business
capabilities nationally.
    Statement regarding "Forward Looking Statements:"  Statements concerning
future performance, developments or events, including expansion of operations,
growth of loan originations, ability to place securitizations, success of the
e-commerce model, trends in interest rates, various statements concerning
expectations for growth or profits and any other guidance on future periods,
constitute forward-looking statements which are subject to a number of risks
and uncertainties which might cause actual results to differ materially from
stated expectations.