CROSS COUNTRY HOME SERVICES AND TECO PARTNERS TO OFFER INSIDE GAS LINEPROTECT TO PEOPLES GAS CUSTOMERS

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – July 30, 2007 – Cross Country Home Services (CCHS), the country’s leading provider of home warranties, home service plans and homeowner emergency assistance, has entered into an agreement with Tampa-based TECO Partners on behalf of TECO Peoples Gas, the largest investor-owned natural gas company in Florida. Under the agreement, TECO Partners will offer its consumers Inside Gas LineProtectSM, a valuable protection plan to cover the repair or replacement of residential gas supply lines inside the home.

“Our goal is to consistently deliver revenue and customer loyalty for our clients,” said Jeff Barnes, Director, Utility Group, CCHS. “Inside Gas LineProtectSM is just the latest way we’re helping TECO Partners and TECO Peoples Gas achieve their strategic goals.”

When homeowners don’t realize that they are responsible for the repair or replacement of their in-home gas service lines, unexpected failures can be expensive. For a low monthly fee conveniently added to the consumer’s bill, Inside Gas LineProtectSM provides a simple, seamless process that ensures that repairs are done correctly.

“By working with a partner like Cross Country Home Services we are confident that they will deliver on the quality services promised to our customers,” said Larry Jackson, Manager, Partner Development, TECO Partners. “They have an excellent reputation and made it easy for us to offer this value-added service to our customers.”

This service will be available to customers in the Florida market later this year

About Cross Country Home Services
Cross Country Home Services (CCHS) is the leader in helping companies drive revenue and customer loyalty through a comprehensive set of home warranties, home service plans and homeowner emergency assistance programs. For more than 25 years, CCHS has provided highly flexible, co-branded and private label service programs for major national and regional clients in the financial services, utilities and insurance industries, as well as affinity groups. The company is focused on operational excellence – from client support, service network management and marketing, to customer service operations and brand stewardship – to ensure that its clients’ programs run smoothly and deliver results. Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, CCHS is a member of the Cross Country Group, one of the largest privately-held providers of customer service programs in the United States.

About TECO People's Gas
Since 1895, Peoples Gas has provided Florida’s citizens and businesses with reliable, economical energy services. As the state’s leading natural gas provider, Peoples Gas has offices in every major metropolitan area to serve more than 320,000 commercial, industrial and residential customers.