Tech Bytes: Firstar Hires Fiserv For Payroll, Benefits

Firstar Corp. of Milwaukee has agreed to outsource its payroll and human resources and benefits processing to Fiserv Inc.

The contract, for undisclosed terms, is the latest in a series of agreements Fiserv has struck with major banking companies. Last fall, the Brookfield, Wis., outsourcer signed a deal with Republic New York Corp. and Comerica Inc. of Detroit.

Firstar, which has $19 billion of assets, plans to hand over to Fiserv its payroll processing, printing, and distribution, as well as employee benefits administration. Fiserv also will run a call center to field questions about payroll and benefits from the bank's employees.

Fiserv will handle the work through its Melville, N.Y., service bureau, said Philip E. Sattler, president of the data processor's human resources information services division.

The division sprang out of Fiserv's 1991 acquisition of Citicorp Information Resources. Fiserv had been facilities manager for the Citicorp unit until the Wisconsin company established its own human resources data processing unit, said Mr. Sattler.

Citicorp is Fiserv's biggest client in this area. Processing for that contract is done through a Fiserv facility in the Midwest, Mr. Sattler said.