NEW YORK – Despite overworked phone lines following the tragic events here and in Washington, D.C. many of the networks were still operational. Officials at VISA and MasterCard, which handle much of the nation's credit and debit card traffic, report that the telecommunications congestion did not disrupt ATM or credit card networks and by late afternoon, many firms on the West Coast could reach offices in the Northeast. Concord EFS' ATM processing, POS processing and STAR network operations were also fully operational. In addition, TNB Card Services, also shocked and saddened by the events, had not experienced any system problems. "This is a difficult and trying time for everyone, and we want our clients to know we will do everything within our scope to assist in any needs which might arise from this situation," said TNB Card Services Executive Vice President Rollie Penn. According to First Data Resources, until normal airline service resumes, no statements or plastics -including rush plastics-will be mailed. Security for its facilities around the U.S. has been intensified. All data files have been backed up and sent to secure sites and FDR fraud experts are monitoring all transaction activity.