Jan 10, 2005

Western Union Purchases Equity Interest in Italian Money Transfer Agent

DENVER, Jan 10, 2005 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Western Union Financial Services, Inc. a subsidiary of First Data Corp. (NYSE: FDC), announced today that it has completed the purchase of a 30 percent equity interest in Finint Srl, one of Western Union's authorized agents in Italy.

Based in Italy, Finint has been Western Union's money transfer agent since 1995. Finint offers Western Union services at more than 2,200 locations throughout Italy.

"This investment is an extension of our relationship with a great partner," said Charlie Fote, chairman and chief executive officer of First Data. "Finint brings very capable management skills to a diverse and growing agent network. It continues to introduce new products and services which benefit consumers."

Commenting on the purchase, Graziano Fiorelli, chairman of Finint says, "With this partnership we dramatically strengthen our relationship with Western Union, a strategic partner with great reputation, great people and great financial possibilities that will open doors to potential synergies and business developments in the future."

Transactions in Italy are being driven by the immigrant population, which accounts for roughly five percent of the country's 57 million population*. The size of the global remittance market is estimated to be just above $150 billion, growing at an annual rate of five percent**. In 2003, Western Union's share of the worldwide remittance market was estimated at 14 percent.

In July 2004, Western Union purchased a 30 percent equity interest in another Italian agent, Angelo Costa, S.p.A., with a network of nearly 3,000 locations throughout the country.

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 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 202,000 Agent locations in more than 195 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 www.westernunion.com.

First Data Corp., with global headquarters in Denver, helps power the global economy. Serving approximately 3.5 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 www.firstdata.com.

About Finint and Fineffe Group

Fineffe Group, the Fiorelli family participation holding, has operated for more than ten years in the financial services, throughout Finint Srl and in the franchising field throughout Sistema Italia 93 SpA and its subsidiaries.

The Group operates in Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria and Hungary and has offices in Milan, Piacenza, Barcelona and Berlin with more than 250 employees. Finint Srl and Sistema Italia 93 SpA was founded by Graziano Fiorelli, an entrepreneur with a long experience in the distribution field. He realised the potential of these businesses.

FININT Srl has operated for more than nine years as a General Agent of Western Union in Italy. The Company is a financial broker, on the register of Italian Change Office.

In Italy, the FININT network today counts more than 2.200 point of sales that offer Western Union Money Transfer service. They are mainly Services Centre Mail Boxes Etc., change offices, travel agencies, phone-centers, tobacconist's, receiving offices, Cooperative Credit Banks, Savings and Loan Companies and Popular Banks

www.wufinint.it

"Money Transfer" service is for those who, for personal or professional reasons, needs to send or receive money quickly and conveniently..

Indeed, Finint operates with EthniCity brand in the direct credit mediation in favour of foreigners and residents and actually counts four direct point of sales in the main Italian cities

www.ethnicity.it

FININT president is Graziano Fiorelli, CEO is Paolo Fiorelli.

Sistema Italia 93 SpA is the exclusive licensee of the brand and Know-how of Mail Boxes Etc., the main Franchising network in Italy and worldwide in postal and communication services for privates and companies.

More than 5.000 Center worldwide used MBE Concept. In Europe, MBE Centres are more than 700 in 16 countries, 600 of whose are concentrated in Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria and Hungary and managed by Fineffe Group.

MBE services assigns 60% to professional users and 40% to the private ones, including the domiciliation and correspondence management, shipments with Couriers Express, packaging, documents management, communication, diagram and prints, digital photocopies B/N and colors, fax, chartering emplacement PC - Internet, products for office, Western Union money transfer services, etc. www.mbe.it.

From approximately two years the Group has a control participation in DireFareStampare Srl, a long time active company in the diagram and the press located in Piacenza, whose know-how, centred on a system web owner, is today integrated in the offer of Mail Boxes Etc Centers, for small and medium company and for the private consumer www.dfs.it.

MBE Italy is associated to Assofranchising, the Italian Association of the Franchising, of which Graziano Fiorelli has been President since June 2002.

*  ISTAT, (Italian National Institute of Statistics) and the World Fact
        book 2003.
     ** Celent Communications 2002.

                                                                 FDC-1

SOURCE First Data Corp.

Danielle Pereira of First Data Corp., +1-303-967-6062

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