EL DORADO HILLS, Calif., Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- DST Output, provider of customer communication output solutions to many of the country's largest financial services companies, today announced eProspectusDirect, a summary prospectus delivery solution that enables mutual fund companies to establish compliance with the SEC's new Summary Prospectus rule (www.sec.gov/rules/final/2009/33-8998.pdf), which goes into effect March 31, 2009. While participation this year is voluntary, fund companies must comply with the new disclosure requirements beginning January 2010.

"Our long-standing presence in the financial services market and our proven technology in both print and electronic services come together for fund companies to take advantage of the delivery options within the new SEC rule," says Dana Johnston, vice president of DST Output's eSolutions Sales and eBusiness Development.

A Summary Prospectus is a three- to four-page "plain English" summary of the lengthier statutory prospectus to assist investors with making educated investment decisions and to support environmental initiatives. Funds must provide investors with the ability to access the Summary Prospectus, Statutory Prospectus, Supplements, Statement of Additional Information (SAI), and other required documents online, and to download, retain, and print the information in a readable format.

DST Output services 33 of the top 50 fund complexes and supports 120 million shareholder accounts. eProspectusDirect will be a fully integrated, single-vendor solution, offering:

* Print and Mail - utilizes DST Output's proprietary Digital Press Technology inkjet printers and advanced mailing services for annual prospectus delivery.

* First-dollar Fulfillment - enables fund companies to combine the prospectus with the confirmation in a single envelope for material and postage savings.

* Presentment - provides electronic delivery and Internet hosting and presentment of all compliance documents. Additional option includes encrypted and password-protected CD/DVDs of requested and required documents.

* Consent Management - supports print and/or electronic delivery preferences, as well as summary versus statutory document delivery preferences.

While investor education, waste reduction, and environmental considerations are at center, the new SEC rule also provides fund companies with better control of document-related processing, materials, and postage costs. DST Output has been awarded multiple patents and industry awards for its production-process innovations, which are key components of the eProspectusDirect offering.

About DST Output

DST Output, a subsidiary of DST Systems Inc., provides integrated print and electronic statement and billing output solutions to many of the country's largest financial services, communications, insurance, healthcare, and utilities companies. In 2008, DST Output and its affiliates produced more than 2.3 billion customer communications, delivered throughout the United States, Canada and the U.K. via postal service, express delivery and over the Internet.

We are the largest third-party First-Class(TM) mailer in the United States and the world's largest inkjet systems printer. For more information, visit www.dstoutput.com.