Western Union Expands Board of Directors



    The Western Union Company, a worldwide leader in money transfer
    services, today announced that Lord Dennis Stevenson, Chairman of HBOS
    plc., and Linda Fayne Levinson, an independent advisor to
    professionally funded, privately held ventures, will be elected to its
    Board of Directors. These individuals will join Jack M. Greenberg, the
    Non-Executive Chairman of Western Union's Board; Christina A. Gold,
    President and Chief Executive Officer of The Western Union Company;
    and five previously named individuals to form a world-class Board
    committed to building value for shareholders. Western Union is
    expected to undergo a tax-free spin-off from First Data Corp. on Sept.
    29, 2006. The directors are expected to assume their roles immediately
    prior to Western Union's separation from First Data.

    In addition to Greenberg and Gold, the Western Union Board of
    Directors, announced in late August, will include Dinyar Devitre,
    Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Altria Group,
    Inc.; Betsy Holden, former Co-Chief Executive Officer of Kraft Foods,
    Inc.; Alan Lacy, former Chief Executive Officer of Sears Holdings
    Corporation; Roberto Mendoza, Chairman of Integrated Finance Limited;
    and Mike Miles, President and Chief Operating Officer of Staples, Inc.

    "The addition of Dennis Stevenson and Linda Fayne Levinson to the
    Western Union Board of Directors will further enhance the
    international character of our Board as well as its high-caliber
    global marketing, finance and consumer expertise," said Christina
    Gold, President and Chief Executive Officer of Western Union. "I am
    confident that we have established the right team to guide Western
    Union as we continue expanding the company's offerings to consumers
    around the world."

    First Data announced its decision earlier this year to separate
    the fast-growing Western Union consumer payments business into an
    independent, publicly traded company through a tax-free spin-off of
    100 percent of Western Union to First Data shareholders. The
    independent Western Union company, which will include the Western
    Union, Orlandi Valuta and Vigo brands, will be the largest money
    transfer company, providing consumers with fast, reliable and
    convenient ways to send money around the world, pay bills and purchase
    money orders.

    Biographical Information

    Lord Stevenson, 61, is Chairman of HBOS plc., a worldwide banking
    institution in the United Kingdom. Until November 2005, he served as
    Chairman of Pearson plc., the media group that owns the Financial
    Times, Prentice Hall and Penguin. His past board memberships include
    roles on the Boards of Manpower Inc and British Sky Broadcasting Group
    plc. among others.

    Linda Fayne Levinson, 64, is an independent advisor to
    professionally funded, privately held ventures and Non-Executive Chair
    of VendareNetblue, Inc. Levinson was a partner at GRP Partners, a
    venture capital firm, from 1997 through 2004. In that role, she
    invested in and served as Director of several private companies that
    made successful transitions into public companies, such as Overture
    Services, Inc., lastminute.com, plc. and Cybersource, Inc. Earlier in
    her career, Levinson served as a Senior Vice President at American
    Express Travel Related Services, Inc. In 1979 she was elected the
    first female partner at McKinsey & Company. Levinson presently serves
    on the boards of NCR Corporation, Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. and
    Ingram Micro, Inc. Previously, Levinson served on the Boards of
    Genentech, Inc. and Adminstaff, Inc.

    About Western Union

    Western Union, together with its affiliates Orlandi Valuta and
    Vigo, are leaders in global money transfer, providing people with
    fast, reliable and convenient ways to send money around the world, pay
    bills and purchase money orders through a network of over 270,000
    agent locations in more than 200 countries and territories. For more
    information, visit www.westernunion.com.