DENVER, Sept. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- First Data Corp. (NYSE: FDC),
today announced that it has scheduled a special meeting of shareholders for
Tuesday, October 28, 2003 to vote on the issuance of shares of First Data
common stock in accordance with the merger agreement between Concord EFS
(NYSE: CE) and First Data. The meeting for First Data shareholders is
scheduled for 10 a.m. MDT at the Inverness Hotel, 200 Inverness Drive West,
Englewood, Colo. First Data shareholders of record at the close of business
on September 8, 2003 will be entitled to vote at the meeting.
On April 2, 2003, First Data and Concord announced a definitive merger
agreement for First Data to acquire all outstanding stock of Concord in an
all-stock transaction valued at approximately $7 billion, based on the close
of market price on April 1, 2003. Under the merger agreement, First Data will
exchange 0.40 First Data common shares for every Concord common share. To
complete the transaction, First Data will issue approximately 200 million
common shares to Concord shareholders.
On September 24, 2003, the Registration Statement on Form S-4 relating to
First Data's proposed merger with Concord was declared effective by the
Securities and Exchange Commission. This Registration Statement includes a
joint proxy statement/prospectus that will be sent to the shareholders of both
companies. First Data anticipates that it will commence mailing of the joint
proxy statement/prospectus on or about September 26, 2003.
About First Data
First Data Corp. (NYSE: FDC), with global headquarters in Denver, helps
power the global economy. As an electronic commerce and payment services
company, First Data serves approximately 3 million merchant locations, 1,400
card issuers and millions of consumers, making it easy, fast and secure for
people and businesses to buy goods and services using virtually any form of
payment. With 29,000 employees worldwide, the company provides credit, debit,
smart card and stored-value card issuing and merchant transaction processing
services; Internet commerce solutions; money transfer services; money orders;
and check processing and verification services throughout the United States.
First Data also offers a variety of payment services in the United Kingdom,
Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Spain, the Netherlands, the Middle East and
Germany. Its Western Union and Orlandi Valuta money transfer networks include
approximately 165,000 agent locations in more than 195 countries and
territories.
About Concord
Concord EFS, Inc., a vertically integrated electronic transaction
processor, provides the technology and network systems that make payments and
other financial transactions faster, more efficient, and more secure than
paper-based alternatives. Concord acquires, routes, authorizes, captures, and
settles virtually all types of electronic payment and deposit access
transactions for financial institutions and merchants nationwide. Concord's
primary activities include Network Services, which provides automated teller
machine (ATM) processing, debit card processing, deposit risk management, and
STARsm network access principally for financial institutions; and Payment
Services, which provides point of sale processing, settlement, and related
services, with specialized systems focusing on supermarkets, major retailers,
gas stations, convenience stores, restaurants and trucking companies.
Not a Proxy Solicitation
This communication is not a solicitation of a proxy from any security
holder of First Data Corporation or Concord EFS, Inc. First Data has filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) a joint proxy
statement/prospectus concerning the planned merger of Concord with a
subsidiary of First Data. WE URGE INVESTORS TO READ THE JOINT PROXY
STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS TO BE FILED WITH THE
SEC, BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors will be able
to obtain the documents free of charge at the SEC's website, http://www.sec.gov. In
addition, documents filed with the SEC by First Data will be available free of
charge from First Data Investor Relations, 6200 S. Quebec St., Suite 340,
Greenwood Village, CO 80111. Documents filed with the SEC by Concord will be
available free of charge from Concord Investor Relations, 2525 Horizon Lake
Drive, Suite 120, Memphis, TN 38133. First Data and its directors and
executive officers and other members of its management and employees, may be
deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the stockholders
of First Data in connection with the planned merger. Information about the
directors and executive officers of First Data and their ownership of First
Data stock is set forth in the proxy statement for First Data's 2003 annual
meeting of stockholders. Investors may obtain additional information
regarding the interests of the participants by reading the joint proxy
statement/prospectus when it becomes available.
FDC-1
SOURCE First Data
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Related links:
http://www.firstdata.com
CONTACT:
Investor Relations, David Banks,
+1-303-967-8057, or Media Relations, Rodney D Bell,
+1-303-967-6547, both of First Data
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