HOUSTON, April 3, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cardtronics, Inc. (Nasdaq:CATM) (the "Company"), the world's largest retail ATM owner, today announced that it had entered into a series of interest rate swap agreements with various financial institutions to further expand and extend the terms of its U.S. interest rate hedging program. As a result of these transactions, Cardtronics will now have interest rate swaps in place to hedge a more substantial portion of the interest rate risk associated with its ATM vault cash rental obligations through 2018, at a lower weighted average fixed rate in each year.

Currently, the Company's outstanding ATM vault cash balance in the United States totals approximately $1.3 billion. The following table displays Cardtronics' interest rate hedging program in place in the United States before and after the recent transactions:

"Our execution of these additional swaps effectively serves to fix the vault cash rental rate on a substantial portion of our forecasted outstanding vault cash," commented Chris Brewster, chief financial officer, Cardtronics. "With interest rates at or near historic lows, we thought it was an opportune time to significantly reduce our exposure to floating interest rates for many years to come."

Consistent with its previous interest rate swaps, the new instruments will be designated as cash flow hedges and are expected to be accounted for as effective hedges for accounting purposes. For additional information regarding Cardtronics' exposure to floating interest rates and its hedging program, please see the Company's 2011 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

About Cardtronics (Nasdaq:CATM)

Making ATM cash access convenient where people shop, work and live their lives, Cardtronics is at the convergence of retailers, financial institutions, prepaid card programs and the customers they share. Cardtronics owns/operates more than 52,900 retail ATMs in U.S. and international locales. Whether Cardtronics is driving foot traffic for America's most relevant retailers, enhancing ATM brand presence for card issuers or expanding card holders' surcharge-free cash access on the local, national or global scene, Cardtronics is convenient access to cash, when and where consumers need it. Cardtronics is where cash meets commerce.

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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements give the Company's current expectations or forecasts of future events, future financial performance, strategies, expectations, competitive environment, regulation, and availability of resources. The forward-looking statements contained in this release include, among other things, statements concerning projections, predictions, expectations, estimates or forecasts as to the Company's business, financial and operational results and future economic performance, and statements of management's goals and objectives and other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following:

• the Company's financial outlook and the financial outlook of the ATM industry;
• the Company's ability to respond to recent and future regulatory changes, including possible effects from the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act which could result in different behavior by consumers, retailers and banks;
• the Company's ability to respond to potential reductions in the amount of interchange fees that it receives from global and regional debit networks for transactions conducted on its ATMs, including a recent announcement by a major global network that will result in lower fees earned by the Company on transactions processed over this network;
• the Company's ability to provide new ATM solutions to retailers and financial institutions;
• the Company's ATM vault cash rental needs, including potential liquidity issues with its vault cash providers;
• the continued implementation of the Company's corporate strategy;
• the Company's ability to compete successfully with new and existing competitors;
• the Company's ability to renew and strengthen its existing customer relationships and add new customers;
• the Company's ability to meet the service levels required by its service level agreements with its customers;
• the Company's ability to pursue and successfully integrate acquisitions;
• the Company's ability to successfully manage its existing international operations and to continue to expand internationally;
• the Company's ability to prevent security breaches;
• the Company's ability to manage the risks associated with its third-party service providers failing to perform their contractual obligations;
• the Company's ability to manage concentration risks with key customers, vendors and service providers;
• changes in interest rates and foreign currency rates; and
• the additional risks the Company is exposed to in its U.K. armored transport business.

Additional information regarding known material factors that could cause the Company's actual performance or results to differ from its projected results are described in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K. You should not read forward-looking statements as a guarantee of future performance or results. They will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at or by which such performance or results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statements are made and are based on information available at the time those statements are made and/or management's good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information.

Cardtronics and Allpoint are registered trademarks of Cardtronics, Inc.

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