Plans by Firstar Bank to process payments for the Internal Revenue Service will create up to 1,000 part-time and 30 full-time jobs in Greater Cincinnati by early next year.

        The jobs will sprout up at a lockbox operation — where tax payments will be collected — that Firstar will open locally after being awarded a five-year contract to process the payments.

        The lockbox unit will employ 300 to 1,000 temporary workers during peak processing periods in January, April, June and September.

        It also will employ another 30 full-time workers to oversee the accuracy and security of the system, said Caren Galloway, vice president of government banking at Firstar.

        She said the temporary jobs will include mail sorting, data entry, clerical and other so-called back office functions.

        Firstar recently won the IRS contract to process tax payments in Cincinnati from 2002 through 2007. The jobs will begin in January.

        Firstar has had ties with the federal government since 1989, when its St. Louis operation began processing payments at two IRS centers there.

        For information about the temporary jobs, call 513-489-7787.

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