First Data
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First Data Corporation (NYSE: FDC) is a payment processing company based in Greenwood Village, Colorado. It was spun-off from American Express in April 1992. First Data's acquisition of First Financial Management Corporation in 1995 brought Western Union under its corporate umbrella. On January 26, 2006, First Data announced plans to spin off Western Union as an independent, publicly traded company. The spin off was successfully completed on September 29, 2006.
[edit] History
First Data originally began as a partnership between American Express Company and inventor Ronald A. Katz[1].
First Data was the first processor of both VISA® and MasterCard® bank-issued credit cards in 1973, and helped link banks through the first ATM network in 1981.
In 1992, First Data was spun off from American Express as a free standing company. [2]
