Heartland Payment Systems(R) Chief Security Officer John South Named 2013 CSO of the Year

PRINCETON, NJ--(Marketwire - Feb 27, 2013) - John South, chief security officer at Heartland Payment Systems (NYSE: HPY), one of the nation's largest payments processors, has been named 2013 CSO of the Year by SC Magazine. As the information technology (IT) security industry's leading global awards program, the SC Awards honor the professionals, companies and products that help fend off security threats that face today's corporate world. South and other award winners were recognized during the SC Awards Dinner and Presentation at the RSA Conference on Tuesday, February 26, 2013, in San Francisco, Calif.

Selected among esteemed industry peers, South is honored for his work spearheading a robust IT security program while driving significant business value through information security initiatives. He has also successfully solidified a culture of security at Heartland and established the security practitioners under his purview as integral partners for business leaders across the organization.

Bob Carr, Heartland's chairman and chief executive officer, said, "It is an honor to see John recognized as the 2013 CSO of the Year, as he is a pioneer in every sense of the word. John works relentlessly to safeguard Heartland, as well as the payments ecosystem at large, by leading the fight against cybercrime. No one is more deserving of this award."

Illena Armstrong, VP, editorial director, SC Magazine, added, "Cutting edge solutions are needed to fight the growing complexities of cyberattacks and, as a winner of a 2013 SC Award, John has demonstrated the ability to execute innovative and comprehensive IT security measures. SC Magazine, our panel of expert judges and the entire industry recognize his efforts with this prestigious award."

South currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC), the only industry forum for collaboration on critical security threats facing the financial services sector. He also serves on the Board of Advisors of the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) to help strengthen security standards and protect cardholder data against threats worldwide. Additionally, South is on the PCI Council Board of Advisors and has been an active participant with the U.S. Secret Service North Texas Electronic Crimes Task Force since its inception in 2003 and is the founding president of the FBI's North Texas InfraGard Program.

About Heartland Payment Systems
Heartland Payment Systems, Inc. (NYSE: HPY), the sixth largest payments processor in the United States, delivers credit/debit/prepaid card processing, school solutions, marketing solutions, end-to-end encryption technology, campus solutions, payroll solutions, and related business solutions and services to more than 250,000 business and education locations nationwide. A FORTUNE 1000 company, Heartland is the founding supporter of The Merchant Bill of Rights, a public advocacy initiative that educates merchants about fair credit and debit card processing practices. Heartland also established The Sales Professional Bill of Rights to advocate for the rights of sales professionals everywhere. More detailed information can be found by visiting HeartlandPaymentSystems.com, HeartlandPaymentSystems.com/Careers or following the company on Twitter @HeartlandHPY and Facebook at facebook.com/HeartlandHPY.

Forward-Looking Statements:
This press release contains statements of a forward-looking nature which represent our management's beliefs and assumptions concerning future events. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions and are based on information currently available to us. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements due to many factors, including risks and additional factors that are described in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including but not limited to the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release.