Diebold Comments on United Technologies Press Release

NORTH CANTON, Ohio, March 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Diebold, Incorporated (NYSE:DBD) today issued the following statement regarding a United Technologies Corporation (UTC) press release announcing that it has accumulated 3.5 percent of Diebold's shares:

This does not change Diebold's belief that UTC's $40 per share offer significantly undervalues the company and does not reflect significant progress against current strategic initiatives and Diebold's previously disclosed $100 million cost reduction program. The company is confident that executing on its strategy will create substantially greater value for shareholders than the UTC proposal. Diebold is working diligently to complete its filings and ensure that its investors can make fully informed decisions about their investment.

UTC's assertions regarding a potential NYSE delisting are highly misleading. Diebold does not believe it faces any threat of delisting until at least September 17, 2008, at which time the NYSE, at its discretion, can grant an extension for an additional six months. The company currently anticipates its financial review will be completed by the end of the second quarter of 2008 and it will make all appropriate filings as soon as possible thereafter.

Forward-Looking Statements

In this press release, statements that are not reported financial results or other historical information are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward- looking statements give current expectations or forecasts of future events and are not guarantees of future performance. These forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, the company's future operating performance, the completion of the company's financial statements for the quarters ended June 30, 2007, September 30, 2007 and the year ended December 31, 2007, the completion of the company's restated financial statements, the ongoing SEC and Department of Justice investigations and the completion of the company's internal review. The use of the words "will," "believes," "anticipates," "expects," "intends" and similar expressions is intended to identify forward- looking statements that have been made and may in the future be made by or on behalf of the company.

Although the company believes that these forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, these forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements. The company is not obligated to update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Some of the risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to the:

-- finalization of the impact on the company's financial statements of its
change in its revenue recognition practices for its North America
business segment and any other business segment;

-- results of the SEC and Department of Justice investigations and the
company's ongoing internal review;

-- completion of the company's financial statements for the quarters ended
June 30, 2007, September 30, 2007 and the year ended December 31, 2007,
and the completion of the restatement of the company's financial
statements;

-- competitive pressures, including pricing pressures and technological
developments;

-- changes in the company's relationships with customers, suppliers,
distributors and/or partners in its business ventures;

-- changes in political, economic or other factors such as currency
exchange rates, inflation rates, recessionary or expansive trends,
taxes and regulations and laws affecting the worldwide business in each
of the company's operations, including Brazil, where a significant
portion of the company's revenue is derived;

-- acceptance of the company's product and technology introductions in the
marketplace;

-- unanticipated litigation, claims or assessments;

-- timely completion of the company's new manufacturing operation for
financial self-service terminals and related components in the Eastern
European region;

-- costs and benefits associated with the company's workforce reductions,
including any restructuring charges;

-- costs and benefits associated with the closure of the company's Cassis
production facility, including the timing of related restructuring
charges and any tax benefits associated with such charges;

-- completion of the company's implementation of its ERP system and other
IT-related functions;

-- company's ability to reduce costs and expenses and improve internal
operating efficiencies, including the optimization of the company's
manufacturing capacity;

-- company's ability to successfully implement measures to improve
pricing;

-- variations in consumer demand for financial self-service technologies,
products and services;

-- challenges raised about reliability and security of the company's
election systems products, including the risk that such products will
not be certified for use or will be decertified;

-- changes in laws regarding the company's election systems products and
services;

-- potential security violations to the company's information technology
systems;

-- company's ability to successfully execute its strategy related to the
election systems business; and

-- company's ability to achieve benefits from its cost-reduction
initiatives and other strategic changes.

About Diebold

Diebold, Incorporated is a global leader in providing integrated self- service delivery and security systems and services. Diebold employs more than 17,000 associates with representation in nearly 90 countries worldwide and is headquartered in Canton, Ohio, USA. Diebold reported revenue of $2.9 billion in 2006 and is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol 'DBD.' For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.diebold.com/.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: kathleen.aldridge@diebold.com

Source: Diebold, Incorporated

CONTACT: Media, Mike Jacobsen, +1-330-490-3796,
michael.jacobsen@diebold.com, or Investors, Christopher Bast,
+1-330-490-6908, christopher.bast@diebold.com, both of Diebold, Incorporated

Web site: http://www.diebold.com/

2008-03-27 16:37:10 0321792 PRNEWSWIRE