Deal Adds Approximately 3000 Locations to Money Transfer
Network by Year-End
DENVER, June 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- First Data Corp. (NYSE: FDC), a
global leader in electronic commerce and payment services, today announced
that its Western Union Financial Services subsidiary has signed a multi-year
contract with Australia's national postal service. Australia Post, which
currently issues Western Union International Money Orders(R), will begin
offering Western Union Money Transfer(R) services in each of its approximately
3000 on-line locations by the end of 2002.
In addition to providing general postal services, Australia Post offers
its customers a wide variety of financial services, including bill payment,
banking and domestic and international money orders. Australia Post locations
service more than a million customers each day and reach some of the country's
most remote locations. The addition of Western Union Money Transfer to
Australia Post's portfolio of financial service offerings will significantly
extend availability of Western Union services throughout Australia and the
Asia Pacific region.
"Australia Post is an important member of our growing network of
international postal agencies," said Bill Thomas, president, Western Union
International. "As we continue to expand around the globe, it is important to
ally ourselves with organizations that truly understand the needs of their
local community. Few organizations are as integral to those communities as
the local post office. By teaming with nearly 70 postal organizations around
the world, Western Union is able to extend availability of its services to
virtually every corner of the nations they serve."
"Western Union and Australia Post have had an excellent relationship for
the past five years," said Terry Stephens, group manager, Financial Services,
Australia Post. "In the past, our companies have teamed to offer reliable
international money order services. With the addition of Western Union Money
Transfer services, Australian consumers now have more options than ever for
conducting their financial transactions."
About Western Union Financial Services, Inc. and First Data
Western Union Financial Services, Inc., a subsidiary of First Data Corp.
(NYSE: FDC), is an international leader in consumer money transfer services.
Consumers can quickly, safely and reliably pay bills and transfer money around
the globe using the company's proprietary money transfer network. Western
Union and its subsidiary, Orlandi Valuta, together make up one of the world's
largest money transfer networks with a total of approximately 124,000 Agent
locations in more than 185 countries and territories. Famous for its
pioneering telegraph service, the original Western Union dates back to
1851 and introduced electronic money transfer service in 1871. For more
information, please visit the company's Web site at http://www.westernunion.com .
First Data Corp., with global headquarters in Denver, helps power the
global economy. Serving approximately 2.8 million merchant locations,
1,400 card issuers and millions of consumers, First Data makes it easy, fast
and secure for people and businesses to buy goods and services, using
virtually any form of payment: credit, debit, smart card, stored-value card
or check at the point-of-sale, over the Internet or by money transfer. For
more information, please visit the company's Web site at http://www.firstdata.com .
SOURCE First Data Corp.
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Related links:
http://www.westernunion.com
http://www.firstdata.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/138116.html
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/103364.html
CONTACT:
Wendy Carver Herbert of Western Union
Financial Services, Inc., +1-303-967-6416,
wendy.carver@firstdatacorp.com; or Gary Highland, Media Relations
Manager of Australia Post HQ, Melbourne, + 61 3 9204 7134,
mobile, + 61 417 196 035, gary.highland@auspost.com.au
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