The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) today announced it has signed an agreement to acquire Angelo Costa S.r.l., one of its leading money transfer network agents in Europe.

Angelo Costa manages relationships with over 7,500 subagent locations across several countries in Europe. Western Union currently owns 30% of the company, and will acquire the remaining 70% for a cash purchase price of 100 million Euros.

Western Union President and Chief Executive Officer Hikmet Ersek said, ?The acquisition of Angelo Costa represents a strong fit with our key strategic priorities. It will allow us to directly access our network locations and customers, more quickly introduce new products and services into Agent locations, and optimize commission levels. As a result of adding Costa to our Fexco network, we will also be able to improve processes and productivity through centralized support functions.?

Angelo Costa Managing Director Francesco Costa added, ?We have held a great relationship with Western Union for many years, and helped build a strong money transfer network across Europe. We look forward to completing this transaction and ensuring a smooth transition.?

The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and satisfaction of closing conditions, and is expected to close in the first half of 2011.

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, as well as send payments and purchase money orders. The Western Union, Vigo and Orlandi Valuta branded services are offered through a combined network of approximately 435,000 agent locations in 200 countries and territories. In 2009, The Western Union Company completed 196 million consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide, moving $71 billion of principal between consumers, and 415 million business payments. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com.

WU-F, WU-G

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Possible events or factors that could cause results or performance to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include the following: changes in immigration laws, patterns and other factors related to migrants; our ability to adapt technology in response to changing industry and consumer needs or trends; our failure to develop and introduce new products, services and enhancements, and gain market acceptance of such products; the failure by us, our agents or subagents to comply with our business and technology standards and contract requirements or applicable laws and regulations, especially laws designed to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing, and/or changing regulatory or enforcement interpretations of those laws; failure to comply with the settlement agreement with the State of Arizona; the impact on our business of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the rules promulgated there-under; changes in United States or foreign laws, rules and regulations including the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and governmental or judicial interpretations thereof; changes in general economic conditions and economic conditions in the regions and industries in which we operate; adverse movements and volatility in capital markets and other events which affect our liquidity, the liquidity of our agents or clients, or the value of, or our ability to recover our investments or amounts payable to us; political conditions and related actions in the United States and abroad which may adversely affect our businesses and economic conditions as a whole; interruptions of United States government relations with countries in which we have or are implementing material agent contracts; our ability to resolve tax matters with the Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities consistent with our reserves; mergers, acquisitions and integration of acquired businesses and technologies into our company, and the realization of anticipated financial benefits from these acquisitions; changes in, and failure to manage effectively exposure to, foreign exchange rates, including the impact of the regulation of foreign exchange spreads on money transfers and payment transactions; failure to maintain sufficient amounts or types of regulatory capital to meet the changing requirements of our regulators worldwide; our ability to maintain our agent network and business relationships under terms consistent with or more advantageous to us than those currently in place; failure to implement agent contracts according to schedule; deterioration in consumers' and clients' confidence in our business, or in money transfer providers generally; failure to manage credit and fraud risks presented by our agents, clients and consumers or non-performance by our banks, lenders, other financial services providers or insurers; any material breach of security of or interruptions in any of our systems; adverse rating actions by credit rating agencies; liabilities and unanticipated developments resulting from litigation and regulatory investigations and similar matters, including costs, expenses, settlements and judgments; failure to compete effectively in the money transfer industry with respect to global and niche or corridor money transfer providers, banks and other money transfer services providers, including telecommunications providers, card associations, card-based payment providers and electronic and internet providers; our ability to protect our brands and our other intellectual property rights; our failure to manage the potential both for patent protection and patent liability in the context of a rapidly developing legal framework for intellectual property protection; cessation of various services provided to us by third-party vendors; changes in industry standards affecting our business; changes in accounting standards, rules and interpretations; our ability to attract and retain qualified key employees and to manage our workforce successfully; significantly slower growth or declines in the money transfer market and other markets in which we operate; adverse consequences from our spin-off from First Data Corporation; decisions to downsize, sell or close units, or to transition operating activities from one location to another or to third parties, particularly transitions from the United States to other countries; decisions to change our business mix; catastrophic events; and management's ability to identify and manage these and other risks.

The Western Union Company
Media:
Tom Fitzgerald, 720-332-4374
tom.fitzgerald@westernunion.com
or
Investors:
Mike Salop, 720-332-8276
mike.salop@westernunion.com