Western Union Services Will Be Available at over 1,200
EZCORP-Operated Store Locations in the United States, Mexico and
Canada
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. & AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU), a leader in global payments, and
EZCORP, Inc. (NASDAQ: EZPW), a leading provider of instant cash
solutions for consumers, today announced an agreement.
Under the terms of the agreement, Western Union Money Transfer®,
money order and consumer bill payment services will be available at over
900 EZCORP-operated store locations in the United States. Western Union
money transfer services also will be available at more than 300
EZCORP-operated store locations in Mexico and Canada.
“Our agreement with Western Union will allow EZCORP to provide vital
money transfer and other payment services, thereby deepening our
relationship with our customer base,” said Paul Rothamel, EZCORP’s
President and Chief Executive Officer. “Western Union is an established
global brand, and the company facilitates the reliable and timely
movement of money through a substantial international network. Aligning
with Western Union is a natural choice for EZCORP, as we remain
committed to providing exceptional service and meeting our customers’
wide variety of financial needs.”
EZCORP operates more than 900 locations in the United States under
various brand names, including EZPAWN, Value Pawn & Jewelry and EZMONEY.
The company’s presence in Mexico includes 230 Empeño Fácil or Empeñe Su
Oro stores, and a 60% ownership interest in Crediamigo, a specialty
consumer finance company. In Canada, EZCORP operates 70 cash advance and
buy/sell stores under the brand names Cash Converters and Cashmax. The
company also has strategic relationships with Albemarle & Bond Holdings
PLC, one of the U.K.’s largest pawnbroking businesses, and Cash
Converters International Limited, which franchises and operates a
worldwide network of personal financial services and retail stores.
EZCORP was named to Fortune Magazine’s 100 fastest growing companies
list in both 20101 and 20112.
“Western Union is positioned at the nexus between cash and electronic
technologies,” said Victoria Lopez-Negrete, Senior Vice President and
General Manager, North America at Western Union. “Our relationship with
EZCORP will now enable consumers to send and receive money transfers,
purchase money orders and make bill payments – all in one convenient
location.”
About EZCORP
EZCORP is a leading provider of instant cash solutions for consumers
employing 6,500 teammates and operating 1,262 company-operated pawn,
buy/sell and personal financial services locations in the U.S., Mexico
and Canada. We provide a variety of instant cash solutions, including
pawn loans, consumer loans, and fee-based credit services to customers
seeking loans. At our pawn and buy/sell stores, we also sell
merchandise, primarily collateral forfeited from pawn lending operations
and used merchandise purchased from customers.
EZCORP owns controlling interests in Prestaciones Finmart, S.A.P.I. de
C.V., SOFOM, E.N.R. (doing business under the name "Crediamigo"), a
leading provider of payroll deduction loans in Mexico, and in Artiste
Holding Limited (doing business under the name "Cash Genie"), a leading
provider of online loans in the U.K. The company also has significant
investments in Albemarle & Bond Holdings PLC (ABM.L), one of the U.K.'s
largest pawnbroking businesses with over 170 full-line stores offering
pawnbroking, jewelry retailing, gold buying and financial services; and
in Cash Converters International Limited (CCV.L and CCV.ASX), which
franchises and operates a worldwide network of over 600 stores that
provide personal financial services and sell pre-owned merchandise. For
more information, visit www.ezcorp.com.
About Western Union
The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global payment
services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago Facil and Western
Union Business Solutions branded payment services, Western Union
provides consumers and businesses with fast, reliable and convenient
ways to send and receive money around the world, to send payments and to
purchase money orders. As of September 30, 2012, the Western Union, Vigo
and Orlandi Valuta branded services were offered through a combined
network of approximately 510,000 agent locations in 200 countries and
territories. In 2011, The Western Union Company completed 226 million
consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide, moving $81 billion of
principal between consumers, and 425 million business payments. For more
information, visit www.westernunion.com.
1. Fortune Magazine Fastest Growing Companies List, 2010:
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortunefastestgrowing/2010/full_list/index.html
2. Fortune Magazine Fastest Growing Companies List, 2011:
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortunefastestgrowing/2011/full_list/index.html
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WU-G
Source: Western Union