First Data is a large diversified company serving the financial services industry with headquarters in Greenwood Village, Colorado.  It acquired the Western Union public services business in l995, and operates it now as a wholly own subsidiary called Western Union Financial Services, Inc. that specializing in transferring money around the world in what is called the "under banking" market.

First Data's activities are carried out through five groupings of about seventeen subsidiaries involved in transferring money from location to location, servicing credit card issuers, servicing merchandisers, and sales internationally and to government.  Western Union Financial Services is one of two major subsidiaries in the money transfer grouping of businesses.  Information pertaining to First Data's activities can be found by clicking on http://www.firstdata.com/svcs.jsp.  Brief descriptions of the subsidiaries and be found at http://www.westernunion.com/info/aboutUsFirstData.asp?