BRUSSELS, Belgium, July 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Western Union Financial Services
International, a division of First Data Corporation (NYSE: FDC), today
announced that it has selected Brussels, Belgium as the location for a new
European Regional Operations Center.  The center is scheduled to open in
September 1997 and will provide telephone customer service support to Western
Union money transfer agents and consumers throughout Europe, the Middle East
and Africa.
    The center will be located in The Triomphe Building, 25 Arnaud Fraiteure,
1050 Brussels.  The company signed a three-year lease for 912 meters of office
space.  The center will open with 36 employees, expanding to 60 within two
years, and as many as 200 within three to five years.  Employees of the center
will be hired locally and will serve customers speaking a wide variety of
languages.
    Brussels was selected over five other potential cities in Western Europe.
The international consulting firm of Arthur Andersen assisted Western Union
with site selection and lease negotiation.  Special assistance also was
provided by Minister of Economy of the Brussels Capital Region, Jos Chabert,
and the Brussels Regional Development Agency.
    "There were many factors that attracted Western Union to Brussels," said
Edward J. Fuhrman, president, Western Union Financial Services International.
"The combination of a high quality, culturally diverse workforce, a large
multilingual population and a central location in Europe make Brussels a very
attractive city to establish an operations center.  The implementation of the
European Regional Operations Center will be a significant step in our ever
present effort to elevate our service quality on a global basis."
    According to Fuhrman, the need to open an operations center in Europe
resulted from the tremendous growth of Western Union's international money
transfer business, which grew by more than 60 percent in 1996.
    "I am very pleased by Western Union's decision to settle in Brussels, said
Minister Jos Chabert, Minister of Economy of the Brussels Capital Region.
"This decision is the reward of our active policy to attract international
call centers to Brussels, which is becoming more and more successful.  The
good reputation of Western Union provides this policy another important
reference.
    "Moreover, the strategic location of Brussels as a business seat for
international companies is being confirmed.  As capital of Europe, Brussels is
becoming an international business center of growing importance.  Not only are
its central location in Europe and the presence of European institutions major
assets to attract businesses, but the multi-linguism, of the labor force and
the presence of native speakers are also important," Minister Chabert
concluded.
    Western Union is the worldwide leader in electronic money transfer
services.  Western Union Financial Services International transfers funds to
more than 36,000 locations in 140 countries around the world.  In Belgium,
Western Union has more than 75 agent locations in 50 cities.  Western Union's
Belgian network agents are Camrail and GWK Belgium, supported by Banque
Nagelmackers, Basle & Co. and Best Change.
    To use the service, remitters bring the money they want to send to one of
Western Union's worldwide locations.  After the remitter completes a brief
form, the local agent enters the transaction into Western Union's secure
worldwide computer system.
    Minutes later, the funds are available for pick-up by the recipient, who
must show proper identification, in any one of 36,000 other Western Union
locations worldwide.  Anyone can use the service and no bank account or credit
card is required.
    Famous for its pioneering telegraph services, the original Western Union
dates back to 1851 and introduced the first electronic money transfer service
in 1871.  In 1995, the company became part of First Data Corporation, which is
headquartered in Hackensack, New Jersey, U.S.A.
    First Data Corporation and its business units provide payment systems,
electronic commerce and information management services to financial
institutions, merchants, insurance companies, health care providers, public
utilities and consumers throughout the world.

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