Overview

The Western Union Company (“Western Union” or the “Company”) is a leader in global money transfer, providing people with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send money around the world. The Western Union ^® brand is globally recognized. Our services are available through a network of over 375,000 agent locations in more than 200 countries and territories. Each location in our agent network is capable of providing one or more of our services. As of December 31, 2008, approximately 75% of our locations had experienced money transfer activity in the prior 12 months. Our consumer-to-consumer money transfer service enables people to send money around the world in minutes. Our consumer-to-business service provides consumers with flexible and convenient options for making one-time or recurring bill payments.

We believe that brand strength, size and reach of our global network, and convenience and reliability for our consumers have been key to the growth of our business. As we continue to meet the needs of our consumers for fast, reliable and convenient money transfer services, we are also working to enhance our services and provide our consumers with access to an expanding portfolio of payment and other financial services.

History and Development

The Western Union Company was incorporated in Delaware as a wholly-owned subsidiary of First Data Corporation, or “First Data,” on February 17, 2006 in anticipation of the spin-off described in “The Separation of Western Union from First Data”.

The Western Union Company has roots back to 1851. Western Union stock was first traded on the New York Stock Exchange in 1865. In 1884, the original Western Union was one of the 11 companies included on the first Dow Jones average. Western Union has a long history of providing innovative services, including creating the universal stock ticker and launching the first United States commercial communications satellite service. Western Union introduced our consumer-to-consumer money transfer service in 1871. Western Union began offering consumer-to-business payment services in 1989 when we introduced Western Union Quick Collect ^® or “Quick Collect,” providing consumers in the United States with the ability to conveniently pay bills in cash through our agent network.

Over the past decade, we have become a leader in the development of a global remittance market. Today, we offer money transfer services under the Western Union ^® , Orlandi Valuta ^® and Vigo ^SM brands in over 200 countries and territories, and various bill payment services, primarily in the United States, under several brands like Speedpay ^® , Equity Accelerator ^® , Just in Time EFT ^® , Western Union Quick Collect and Western Union Convenience Pay ^® .

The Western Union Business

Our revenue is principally generated by money transfer and payment transactions. We primarily derive our revenue from two sources. Most of our revenue comes from fees that consumers pay when they send money. In certain consumer money transfer transactions involving different send and payment currencies, we generate revenue based on the difference between the exchange rate set by us to the consumer and the rate at which we or our agents are able to acquire currency.

In our consumer-to-consumer segment we provide our third-party agents with our multi-currency, real-time money transfer processing systems used to originate and pay money transfers. Our agents provide the physical infrastructure and staff required to complete the transfers. We generally pay our agents a commission based on a percentage of revenue. The commission is shared between the agent that initiated the transaction, the “send agent,” and the agent that paid the transaction, the “receive agent.” For most agents, the costs of providing the physical infrastructure and staff are typically covered by the agent’s primary business (e.g., postal services,

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banking, check cashing, travel and retail businesses), making the economics of being a Western Union agent attractive to our agents. Western Union’s global reach and loyal consumer base allow us to attract agents we believe to be of high quality.

In our consumer-to-business segment we process electronic and cash payments to a variety of organizations that receive consumer payments, including utilities, auto finance companies, mortgage servicers, financial service providers and governmental agencies, which we sometimes refer to as “billers.” We process electronic payments using the consumer’s credit card, debit card or bank account. We process cash payments much like we process consumer-to-consumer transactions. We believe our billers benefit from their relationship with Western Union as their relationship with us provides them with real-time or near real-time posting of their customer payments, reduced expenses that the biller would have otherwise incurred for cash and check handling, and in certain circumstances another source of income.

Geographic Presence

More than 85% of our agent locations are outside the United States. Our consumer-to-consumer services are available in almost every country or territory. We have offices in more than 50 countries. In the United States, Costa Rica, Russia, Mexico, Argentina and the Philippines, our offices include customer service centers, where our employees answer operational questions from agents and consumers and certain of these offices also provide data processing services. Our office in Englewood, Colorado serves as our corporate headquarters, and our office in Dublin, Ireland serves as our international headquarters. Other offices, including regional management offices in Sunrise, Florida, Vienna, Austria and Hong Kong, China, provide sales, marketing, and other services. Our employees and members of senior management reflect the global nature of our business; natives of many countries, they speak many languages.

Western Union agents include large networks such as post offices, banks and retailers. We have agreements with postal organizations in Argentina, Australia, China, France, Germany, India, New Zealand, Russia, Spain and elsewhere. Our services are offered through banks such as Agricultural Bank of China and the State Bank of India. National and international retailers in the network include Kroger and Publix in the United States and Elektra and Travelex internationally. Many of our agents have multiple locations. Our agents know the markets they serve. They work with our management to develop business plans for their markets, and many of our agents contribute financial resources to assist with marketing the business.

Our consumer-to-business services offer bill payment services primarily in the United States. We intend to pursue continued global expansion of consumer-to-business payment services through our existing agent network and through acquisitions and alliances as demonstrated by our 2006 acquisition of Servicio Electronico de Pago S.A. and related entities (“SEPSA” or Pago Fácil ^SM ) and the recent offering of our bill payment service in Peru and Panama.

Financial information relating to our international and domestic revenues and long-lived assets is set forth in Note 17 to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8.

Our Strengths

We believe our strengths enable us to continue being the provider of choice for millions of consumers when they need to send or receive money and pay bills. Our strengths include our:

Strong relationships with high quality agents and businesses . We interact with millions of consumers around the world, primarily through our global agent network. Our agents facilitate the global distribution and convenience associated with our Western Union brand, which in turn helps create demand for our services and helps us to recruit and retain agents. Our agents tend to be established organizations that provide other consumer products and services. Many are open outside of traditional banking hours, for example on nights and weekends,

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making it easier for consumers to use our services. Our top 40 agents globally have been with us an average of approximately 13 years, and in 2008, these long-standing agents were involved in transactions that generated more than 60% of our consumer-to-consumer revenue. We occasionally acquire interests in, and enter into alliances with, certain of our agents to better align our long-term interests. For example, in August 2008, we acquired the money transfer assets from our existing money transfer agent in Panama and, in December 2008, we acquired 80% of our existing money transfer agent in Peru. We also hold a majority interest in an alliance with our agent in France, and we hold minority interests in agents that have a presence in the United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland, Greece, Jamaica, Singapore and Italy, among others. In February 2009, we entered into an agreement to acquire the money transfer services business of the agent in Ireland in which we currently hold an ownership interest. The agent provides services in the United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland and various other European countries. See Item 7, “Subsequent Event” within Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

We have relationships with more than 6,300 businesses and other billers, approximately 2,100 of which primarily relate to our bill payment business in Argentina, Pago Fácil. These relationships are a core component of our consumer-to-business payment services. In 2008, our top 20 billers represented approximately 40% of our consumer-to-business revenue. On average, we have provided our bill payment services to our top 20 billers for more than 13 years.

Global distribution network . Our agent networks are the foundation of our international presence. We have more than 375,000 agent locations worldwide offering at least one of our consumer-to-consumer money transfer services, with the vast majority offering Western Union branded service. Our global footprint results from more than a decade of building relationships with agents worldwide.

Success in the consumer-to-consumer money transfer business depends in large part on providing quality service at convenient send and receive locations. Our global network, extending to over 200 countries and territories, provides that convenience. Over the last several years, we have emphasized the development of our receive network around the world to optimize send and receive corridors. Today, we believe we are well-positioned to meet consumer demand in key receive markets, such as China, India, Mexico and the Philippines.

To complement the convenience offered by our network’s global physical locations, in certain countries we have made our services available through other channels, such as our internet service, westernunion.com (which allows consumers to send funds through our website), our telephone money transfer service, our direct-to-bank money transfer service (which allows consumers to send money directly to a bank account) and our newly piloted mobile telephone money transfer service. These services represent approximately 3% of our consolidated revenues. For financial information regarding our foreign and United States operations, see Item 7 of Part II and our historical financial statements and the notes to those statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Established brands. Our Western Union brand is built on a foundation of more than 150 years of history and consumer-focused service. The Western Union brand represents speed, reliability, trust and convenience. The international expansion of our agent network over the past decade has taken the Western Union brand nearly everywhere consumers send and receive money. As people move and travel around the world, they are able to use the services of a well recognized brand to transfer funds.

We also offer money transfer services under the Orlandi Valuta and Vigo brands. During the past five years, Western Union branded transactions have grown the fastest of the three consumer money transfer brands.

Through Western Union Quick Collect, Western Union Convenience Pay, Pago Fácil, Speedpay, Just in Time EFT, Equity Accelerator and other brands, we offer consumer-to-business payment services.

Our operating results over the past several years have allowed us to invest significantly each year to support our brands. In 2008, we invested approximately $285 million to market, advertise and promote our brand and services, and many of our agents have contributed significant financial resources to assist with marketing the business.

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Consumer relationships. One of our strengths has been our focus on our consumers and offering them fast, reliable money transfer and payment services. Our global loyalty program is available in a growing number of countries. We launched our Western Union Gold Card, the principal vehicle of the program, in the United States in 2002. As of December 31, 2008, the Gold Card program was available in 72 countries and had approximately 11 million active cards, an increase in the number of active cards of 16% from December 31, 2007. The Gold Card offers consumers faster service at the point-of-sale and other benefits which, depending on the country, could include service fee reductions on future Western Union branded transactions, discounts at retailers or a rechargeable prepaid phone card embedded within the Gold Card. On average, a Gold Card consumer initiates more transactions and has a higher rate of retention than a non-carded consumer. In the United States, approximately 50% of Western Union branded consumer-to-consumer transactions are initiated using a Gold Card. We have also seen increases in usage in Europe and Asia where we began offering the Gold Card in 2004. The global Gold Card program is one component of our consumer relationship management activities designed to support and enhance long-term relationships with our consumers. Consumer databases supplement these efforts by providing insight on consumer preferences so that we can selectively target consumer communications and marketing.

Operational excellence. Our systems enable us to provide worldwide, multi-currency and real-time money transfer processing with a high degree of reliability. We provide many of our largest agents and billers dynamic computer host-to-host interfaces that enable them to offer money transfer and payment services within their own computer environment. We also provide settlement and reconciliation software to our agents and billers with reporting and analysis tools to help them monitor many aspects of their money transfer business, including transactions, profitability and cash flow. Behind the scenes, our settlement systems facilitate the routine settlement of accounts between our company and our agents and billers. Our systems and processes enable our agents to pay money transfers in more than 120 currencies worldwide. Many of our agents can pay in multiple currencies at a single location.

Flexibility is another important component of operational excellence. We continue to work to implement consumer focused enhancements to our services, like telephone and internet services, and money transfers paid directly to a bank account or to a stored-value card.

Global compliance programs . We have developed and continue to enhance global compliance programs, including an anti-money laundering compliance program comprised of policies, procedures, systems and internal controls to monitor and address various aspects of our legal and regulatory requirements. Our money transfer network operates through third-party agents in most countries, and, therefore, our legal and practical ability to control those agents’ compliance activities is limited. As of December 31, 2008, we have approximately 300 employees in a number of our offices around the world dedicated to our global compliance programs and we spend over $40 million annually on these efforts.

Attractive financial profile . Our revenue and net cash flow have provided us with opportunities to invest in our core business growth, new services and new markets. In 2008, we generated $5.3 billion in revenues, had an operating profit margin of 26% and generated approximately $1.3 billion in net cash provided by operating activities.

Our Strategy

We believe that our strengths position us well to continue to pursue global markets and remain focused on our consumers and agents, and their needs. To do so, our strategies include:

Accelerate profitable growth in our existing consumer-to-consumer business. We are focused on selectively expanding our agent network. Examples of this strategy and our recent success in implementing it include:

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Expand and globalize our consumer-to-business segment and increase the number of bill payment options. We offer bill payment services primarily in the United States. We intend to pursue continued global expansion of consumer-to-business payment services by expanding and extending our core cash and electronic payments offerings. We intend to execute this expansion using both our existing agent network and through acquisitions and alliances. Examples of this strategy include:

Innovate to provide new products and services to our target consumer. Developing new technologies through innovation is a key focus area. We have, or will have, a number of pilot projects in the market which, although they do not contribute meaningfully to revenue now, will allow us to evaluate the merits of each new service. We will thus ensure that we invest appropriately to drive future growth and attract new consumers to Western Union. For example, we are currently piloting through relationships with Smart Communications, Globe Telecom, Orascom Telecom and Vodafone, to assess the potential of our mobile money transfer service which will provide consumers with the ability to transfer money via mobile phones and will allow the consumer to send or receive funds at select Western Union agent locations.

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Improve our profitability by leveraging our scale, reducing costs and effectively utilizing capital. We are constantly exploring opportunities to improve cost efficiency and profitability in order to help us achieve our strategic goals and to give us more flexibility to invest in our future. Examples of our efforts to improve cost competitiveness include:

Our Segments

We manage our business around the consumers we serve and the type of services we offer. Each segment addresses a different combination of consumer needs, distribution networks and services. Our segments are consumer-to-consumer and consumer-to-business. Our other businesses not included in these segments include Western Union branded money orders available through a network of third-party agents primarily in the United States and Canada, and prepaid services. Prepaid services include a Western Union branded prepaid MasterCard ^® card sold through select agents in the United States and the internet, a Western Union branded prepaid Visa ^® card sold on the internet, and top-up services for third parties that allow consumers to pay in advance for mobile phone and other services.

The table below presents the components of our consolidated revenue:

Consumer-to-Consumer Segment

Individual money transfers from one consumer to another are the core of our business, representing 85% of our total consolidated revenues for 2008. We offer consumers a variety of ways to send money. Although most remittances are sent in cash at one of our more than 375,000 agent locations worldwide, in some countries we offer the ability to send money over the internet or the telephone, using a credit or debit card. Some agent

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locations accept debit cards to initiate a transaction. We also offer consumers several options to receive a money transfer. While the vast majority of transfers are paid in cash at agent locations, in some places we offer payout directly to the receiver’s bank account, to a stored-value card, to a mobile phone or through the issuance of a money order.

Operations

Our revenue is derived primarily from transaction fees charged to consumers to transfer money. In money transfers involving different send and receive currencies, we also generate revenue based on the difference between the exchange rate set by Western Union to the consumer and the rate at which we or our agents are able to acquire currency.

In a typical money transfer transaction, a consumer goes to one of our agent locations, completes a form specifying, among other things, the name and address of the recipient, and delivers it, along with the principal amount of the money transfer and the fee, to the agent. This sending agent enters the transaction information into our data processing system and the funds are made available for payment, usually within minutes. The recipient enters an agent location in the designated receiving area or country, presents identification and is paid the transferred amount. Recipients do not pay a fee (although in limited circumstances, a tax may be imposed on the payment of the remittance). We determine the fee paid by the sender, which generally is based on the principal amount of the transaction and the locations to and from which the funds are sent and are to be transferred.

Over 85% of our consumer-to-consumer transactions involve at least one non-United States location. No individual country outside the United States accounted for more than 10% of the segment’s revenue for the years ended December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006. Certain of our agents facilitate a large number of transactions; however, no individual agent accounted for greater than 10% of the segment’s revenue during these periods.

Seasonality

Consumer-to-consumer segment revenue typically increases sequentially from the first quarter to the fourth quarter each year and declines from the fourth quarter to the first quarter of the following year. This seasonal fluctuation is related to the holiday season in various countries during the fourth quarter.

Services

We offer money transfer services worldwide. In 2008, over 90% of our consumer-to-consumer transactions were cash money transfers involving our walk-in agent locations around the world. In order to enhance the convenience of our services, we offer a number of options for sending and receiving funds; although, historically, demand for in-person, cash money transfers has been the strongest, we continue to develop services that enhance consumer convenience and choice and are customized to meet the needs of consumers. The different ways consumers can send or receive money include the following:

Walk-in money transfer service. The majority of our remittances constitute transactions in which cash is collected by the agent and payment (usually cash) is available for pick-up at another agent location in the designated receive country, usually within minutes. In some United States outbound corridors and in select international corridors, we provide a “Direct to Bank” service, enabling a consumer to send a transaction from an agent location directly to a bank account in another country. In certain countries, our agents offer a bank deposit service, in which the paying agent provides the receiver the option to direct funds to a bank account or to a stored-value card. Also, under our Vigo brand, we offer Direct to Bank service in certain countries. We also provide a “Cash to Card” service that provides consumers an option to direct funds to a stored-value card in certain locations.

Our “Next Day” delivery option is a money transfer that is available for payment the morning after the money transfer is sent. This option is available in certain markets for domestic service within the United States, and in select United States outbound and international corridors, including Mexico. The Next Day delivery service gives our consumers a lower-priced option for money transfers that do not need to be received within minutes, while still offering the convenience, reliability and ease-of-use that our consumers expect.

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Our “Money Transfer by Phone” service is available in select agent locations in the United States. In a Money Transfer by Phone transaction, the consumer is able to use a telephone in the agent location to speak to a company representative in one of several languages. Typically the sender provides the information necessary to complete the transaction to the company operator on the phone and is given a transaction number, which the sender takes to the agent’s in-store representative to send the funds.

Online money transfer service. Our internet website, westernunion.com, allows consumers to send funds on-line, using a credit or debit card, for payment at most Western Union branded agent locations around the world. As of December 31, 2008, we are now providing send service in 12 countries outside the United States.

Telephone money transfer service. Our Telephone Money Transfer service allows Western Union consumers to send funds by telephone without visiting an agent location. Consumers call a toll-free number in the United States, Canada, Ireland or the United Kingdom and use a debit card or credit card to initiate a transaction. The money transfer is then available for pay-out at an agent location.

Account to cash. Our service that allows consumers to debit their bank accounts and send the money through Western Union for pay-out at an agent location.

Distribution and Marketing Channels

We offer our consumer-to-consumer service through our global network of third-party agents and the other initiation and payment methods discussed above. Western Union provides central operating functions such as transaction processing, settlement, marketing support and customer relationship management to our agents.

Some of our agents outside the United States manage subagents. We refer to these agents as superagents. As of December 31, 2008, we have over 700 superagents located throughout the world. Although our subagents are under contract with these superagents (and not with Western Union directly), the subagent locations typically have access to the same technology and services that our other agent locations do.

Our international agents often customize services as appropriate for their geographic markets. In some markets, individual agents are independently offering specific services such as stored-value card payout options and Direct to Bank service. Our marketing relies on feedback from our agents and consumers, and in many of our markets, our agents fund their own marketing activities.

The Gold Card offers consumers faster service at the point-of-sale and, in certain countries, other benefits which could include reward points, service fee reductions on future Western Union branded transactions, discounts at retailers or a rechargeable prepaid phone card embedded within the Gold Card. As of December 31, 2008, the Gold Card program was available in 72 countries and had approximately 11 million active cards.

Western Union International Bank began operations in February 2005. We chartered the bank to meet requirements presented by the growing trend among the member states of the European Union to regulate the money transfer business, and to give us a regulatory platform for new products and services. Western Union International Bank holds a full credit institution license, allowing it to offer a range of financial services throughout the 27 member states of the European Union and the three additional states of the European Economic Area. As of December 31, 2008, the bank was offering retail service in approximately 36 owned and operated locations and is present in five countries.

Industry Trends

Over the last several years, the money transfer industry has experienced growth. Trends in the money transfer business tends to correlate to migration trends, global economic opportunity and related employment rates worldwide. The top four inbound remittance markets in the world, the countries of India, China, Mexico

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and the Philippines, cumulatively receive an estimated $100 billion annually according to The World Bank. However, due to the weakening global economy, including declines in consumer confidence and rising unemployment, the demand for money transfers has softened, as reflected by The World Bank’s projection of a 0.9% to a 5.7% decline in remittances in 2009. However, we expect that the remittance market will begin to recover as the global economy improves. The World Bank projects a 1.2% to 6.1% growth in remittances in 2010. As the World Bank is focused on remittances to developing countries and not total worldwide remittances, we consider this information as well as other sources when assessing market opportunities.

In 2008, consumers transferred $74 billion in consumer-to-consumer transactions, of which $67 billion related to cross-border transactions, which represented an increase of 16% in consumer-to-consumer transactions and a 17% increase in cross-border transactions over prior year.

Another significant trend impacting the money transfer industry is the increase in regulation in recent years. Regulation in the United States and elsewhere focuses, in part, on anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist activities. Regulations require money transfer providers, banks and other financial institutions to develop systems to detect, monitor and report certain transactions.

Competition

We face robust competition in the highly-fragmented consumer-to-consumer money transfer industry. We compete with a variety of money transfer service providers, including:

The most significant competitive factors in consumer-to-consumer remittances relate to brand recognition, trust and reliability, distribution network, consumer experience and price.

For additional details regarding our consumer-to-consumer segment, including financial information regarding our international and United States operations, see Item 7 of Part II and our financial statements and the notes to those statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Consumer-to-Business Segment

We provide a portfolio of electronic and cash payment options that provide consumers with fast and convenient ways to make one-time or recurring payments to billers. Revenues from this segment represented 14% of our revenue in 2008.

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Operations

Our revenue in this segment is derived primarily from transaction fees paid by the consumer or the biller. These fees are typically less than the fees charged in our consumer-to-consumer segment. In order to make an electronic payment, the consumer or biller initiates a transaction over the telephone or the internet which we process using the consumer’s credit card, debit card or ACH. In order to make a cash payment, the consumer goes to an agent location and makes the payment to the agent. In addition, we generate revenue from upfront enrollment fees received for our Equity Accelerator service, and we earn investment income on funds received from services sold in advance of settlement with payment recipients. The segment’s revenue was primarily generated in the United States for all periods presented. No individual biller accounted for greater than 10% of this segment’s revenue during all periods presented.

Services

Our consumer-to-business services strive to give consumers choices as to the payment channel and method of payment, and include the following:

Electronic payments. Consumers use our Speedpay service principally in the United States to make payments to a variety of billers using credit cards, debit cards and ACH. Payments are initiated over the telephone or the internet.

Our Equity Accelerator service is provided in the mortgage service industry, enabling consumers to make mortgage payments by ACH. It is marketed as a convenient way for homeowners to schedule additional recurring principal payments on their mortgages. Consumers who enroll in this service make mortgage payments based on an accelerated program, which results in interest savings and a lower mortgage balance.

Cash payments. Consumers use our Quick Collect service to send funds to businesses and government agencies across the United States and Canada, using cash and, in certain locations, a debit card. This service is also offered in other select international locations, and is referred to as Quick Pay ^SM in those locations. We also offer Quick Cash ^® , a cash disbursement service used by businesses and government agencies to send money to employees or individuals with whom they have accounts or other business relationships.

Consumers use our Convenience Pay service to send payments by cash or check from a smaller number of Convenience Pay agent locations primarily to utilities and telecommunication providers.

In addition, Pago Fácil provides a walk-in bill payment service in Argentina under the Pago Fácil brand. In the fourth quarter of 2008, Western Union began offering a walk-in, cash bill payment service that will provide consumers in Peru and Panama with a way to pay for services such as mobile phone, utilities and other recurring bills.

Distribution and Marketing Channels

Our electronic payment services are available primarily through the telephone and the internet, while our cash-based services are available through our agent networks. Billers market our services to consumers in a number of ways, and we market our services directly to consumers using a variety of means, including advertising materials and promotional activities at our agent locations. Consumers can also participate in the Western Union Gold Card program when using our Quick Collect service to make cash payments to billers.

As part of our strategy, we are focused on expanding and globalizing our consumer-to-business segment and increasing our number of bill payment options. We have begun expanding our international bill payment business outside of Argentina to Peru and Panama and we are beginning to offer bill payment services under our Vigo brand.

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Industry Trends

The consumer-to-business payment industry has evolved with technological innovations that created new methods of processing payments from individuals to businesses. We believe that the United States is in the midst of a trend away from cash and paper checks toward electronic payment methods accessible through multiple technologies. Furthermore, due to the recent weakening in the United States economy, we believe some consumers who are likely to use our services are having difficulty paying their bills and are unable to obtain credit in any form, resulting in us handling fewer bill payments. We expect this trend to continue in 2009.

The consumer-to-business payment industry outside the United States is at varying stages of development. In some countries, walk-in cash payments at a biller’s office or through a third-party network are widely used, while in other countries electronic payment options, particularly through direct debit, are widely accepted.

Competition

Western Union competes with a diverse set of bill payment service providers offering both cash and electronic-based payment solutions. Competition in electronic payments includes financial institutions (which may offer bill-payment services in their own name or may “host” payment services operated under the names of their clients), billers offering their own or third-party services to their own customers, and third-party providers of all sizes offering services directly to consumers. In many cases, competitors specialize in a small number of industries. Competitors for cash payments include a biller’s own walk-in locations, or those provided by others, some only on a regional basis, as well as mail and courier services. There is also competition between electronic and cash-based payments methods.

The most significant competitive factors in this segment relate to brand recognition, trust and reliability, convenience, speed, variety of payment methods and price.

For additional details regarding our consumer-to-business segment, see Item 7 of Part II and our historical financial statements and the notes to those statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Other

Our remaining business units are grouped in the “Other” category, which includes money orders and prepaid services.

We market Western Union branded money orders, issued by a third-party, to consumers at non-bank retail locations primarily in the United States and Canada. On July 18, 2008, an agreement was executed with Integrated Payment Systems Inc. (“IPS”), a subsidiary of First Data, whereby we will assume the responsibility for issuing money orders effective October 1, 2009 (the “Transition Date”). Prior to the Transition Date, money order revenue is generated through a combination of commissions collected from IPS and per item fees for money orders sold. In a money order transaction, a consumer purchases a money order from an agent. The agent selling the money order generally remits the funds collected from the consumer to IPS promptly following the sale date. IPS holds those funds to meet regulatory requirements and to pay money orders presented for payment. Agents generally receive no commissions from us on money order sales, but rather earn revenue by charging a fee to the consumer for the purchase of the money order. IPS currently holds the settlement assets related to our money order business. Under the terms of the agreement, beginning on October 1, 2009, IPS will assign and transfer to us certain operating assets used by IPS to issue money orders and an amount of cash sufficient to satisfy all outstanding money order liabilities, which vary from day to day but approximate $800 million. After the Transition Date, the settlement assets transferred to us will be subject to regulatory requirements for the money order business under our existing licenses and we will no longer provide to IPS the services required under the original money order agreement or receive from IPS the fee for such services. Subsequent to the Transition Date, a substantial portion of our revenues, which will replace the fee we currently earn from IPS, will be earned from investment income on the float balance of unpaid money order obligations. However, IPS will

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continue to provide to us clearing services necessary for payment of the money orders in exchange for the payment by us to IPS of a per-item administrative fee.

We also offer prepaid services consisting of:

The Western Union branded prepaid MasterCard card is sold through select agents in the United States and on the internet, and our Western Union branded prepaid Visa card is also sold on the internet. Our “top-up” services allow consumers to pre-pay for mobile phone or other services, and otherwise store value with service providers that can be accessed by the consumer in the future.

Expenses incurred in connection with the development of certain new service offerings, including costs to develop mobile money transfer services and new prepaid service offerings, and non-recurring costs incurred to effect the spin-off are included in “Other”.

Intellectual Property

The Western Union brand, consisting of trademark registrations in many countries, is material to our company. The loss of the Western Union trademark or a diminution in the perceived quality associated with the name would harm our growth. The Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Speedpay, Paymap ^® , Equity Accelerator, Just in Time EFT, Western Union Quick Collect, Quick Pay, Quick Cash, Convenience Pay, Pago Fácil (registered in Argentina) and other trademarks and service marks are also important to our company.

We own patents and patent applications covering aspects of our processes and services. We have been, are and in the future may be, subject to claims and suits alleging that our technology or business methods infringe patents owned by others, both in and out of the United States. Unfavorable resolution of these claims could require us to change how we deliver services, result in significant financial consequences, or both, which could adversely affect our business, financial position and results of operations.

Risk Management

Our company has a credit risk management department that evaluates and monitors our agent-related credit and fraud risks. We are exposed to credit risk related to receivable balances from agents in the money transfer, walk-in bill payment and money order settlement process. We also are exposed to credit risk directly from consumer transactions particularly through our online services and electronic consumer-to-business channels, where transactions are originated through means other than cash, and may therefore be subject to “chargebacks,” insufficient funds or other collection impediments, such as fraud. Our credit risk management team performs a credit review before each agent signing and conducts periodic analyses. As a result, our losses associated with bad debts have been less than 1% of our annual revenue in each of the last three fiscal years. However, the recent global economic crisis may increase our losses associated with bad debts.

To manage our exposures to credit risk with respect to investment securities, money market fund investments and other credit risk exposures resulting from our relationships with banks and financial institutions, we regularly review investment concentrations, trading levels, credit spreads and credit ratings, and we maintain our largest relationships with globally diversified financial institutions. We also limit our investment level with respect to individual funds.

A key component of the Western Union business model is our ability to manage financial risk associated with conducting transactions worldwide. We settle accounts with the majority of our agents in United States dollars or euros. We utilize currency exchange contracts, primarily forward contracts, to mitigate the risks

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associated with currency fluctuations. Limited foreign currency risk arises with respect to the agent settlement process. The foreign currency exchange risk is limited because the majority of money transfer transactions are paid within 24 hours after they are initiated and agent settlements occur within a few days in most instances.

Our results may fluctuate due to changes in interest rates. We manage this risk by targeting specific durations on investments and by managing the fixed and floating mix of debt either through issuance of fixed or floating securities directly or through the use of interest rate swaps.

International Investment

We have accumulated approximately $1.6 billion of foreign earnings at December 31, 2008, for which no provision has been made for United States federal and state income taxes, as we have reinvested or expect to reinvest these earnings outside the United States indefinitely. We believe the investment of these earnings over a number of years will assist us in executing our international strategies, including expanding and diversifying global distribution and exploring new service offerings, as follows:

The timing of these investments will be based on specific opportunities.

Regulation

Our business is subject to a wide range of laws and regulations enacted by the United States federal government, each of the states, many localities and other countries. These include financial services regulations, consumer disclosure and consumer protection laws, currency control regulations, money transfer and payment instrument licensing regulations, escheat laws and laws covering consumer privacy, data protection and information security. Our services also are subject to an increasingly strict set of legal and regulatory requirements intended to help detect and prevent money laundering, terrorist financing and other illicit activity. Failure to comply with any of these requirements—by either Western Union or its agents (who are third parties, over whom Western Union has limited legal and practical control)—could result in the suspension or revocation of a license or registration required to provide money transfer services, the limitation, suspension or termination of services, the seizure of our assets, and/or the imposition of civil and criminal penalties, including fines and restrictions on our ability to offer services. We continue to implement policies and programs and adapt our business practices and strategies to help us comply with current and evolving legal standards and industry practices. These programs include dedicated compliance personnel, training and monitoring programs, suspicious activity reporting, regulatory outreach and education, and support and guidance to our agent network on regulatory compliance.

Money Transfer and Payment Instrument Licensing and Regulation

In the United States, most states license money transfer services providers. Many states exercise authority over the operations of our money transfer services and, as part of this authority, regularly examine us. Many states require us to invest the proceeds of money transfers in high-quality, investment grade securities, and our

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use of such investments is restricted to satisfy outstanding settlement obligations. We regularly monitor credit risk and attempt to mitigate our exposure by making high-quality investments in compliance with these regulations. The significant majority of our investment securities, classified within “settlement assets” in the consolidated balance sheets, most of which relate to state licensing requirements in the United States, have credit ratings of “AA-” or better from a major credit rating agency as of December 31, 2008.

These licensing laws also cover matters such as government approval of controlling shareholders and senior management of our licensed entities, regulatory approval of agent locations, consumer disclosures and the filing of periodic reports by the licensee, and require the licensee to demonstrate and maintain certain net worth levels. Many states also require money transmitters and their agents to comply with federal and/or state anti-money laundering laws and regulations.

Our money transfer and money order services are subject to anti-money laundering laws and regulations, including the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 (collectively, the “BSA”) and similar state laws and regulations. The BSA, among other things, requires money transfer companies and the issuers and sellers of money orders, to develop and implement risk-based anti-money laundering programs, report large cash transactions and suspicious activity, and in some cases, to collect and maintain information about consumers who use their services and maintain other transaction records. Many states impose similar and, in some cases, more stringent requirements. These requirements also apply to our agents. In addition, the United States Department of the Treasury has interpreted the BSA to require money transfer companies to conduct due diligence into and risk-based monitoring of their agents inside and outside the United States.

IPS is subject to similar licensing and regulatory requirements with respect to the issuance of Western Union branded money orders. Western Union provides services in support of IPS’s compliance efforts. After the Transition Date, Western Union will assume responsibility for the licensing and regulatory requirements associated with the Western Union branded money orders.

Economic and trade sanctions programs administered by the United States Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) prohibit or restrict transactions to or from (or dealings with) certain countries, their governments, and in certain circumstances, their nationals, as well as with specifically-designated individuals and entities such as narcotics traffickers, terrorists and terrorist organizations. We provide very limited consumer-to-consumer services to individuals in Cuba, Syria and Sudan pursuant to and as authorized by advisory opinions of, or licenses granted by, OFAC.

Outside of the United States, our money transfer business is subject to some form of regulation in all of the countries and territories in which we offer those services. These laws and regulations may include limitations on what types of entities may offer money transfer services, limitations on the amount of principal that can be sent into or out of a country, limitations on the number of money transfers that may be sent or received by a consumer, and agreements on the rates of exchange between currencies. They may also include laws and regulations intended to help detect and prevent money laundering or terrorist financing. In most countries, our agents are required to obtain licenses or permits to offer money transfer services.

We have developed and continue to enhance global compliance programs to monitor and address various aspects of these legal and regulatory requirements. Our money transfer network operates through third-party agents in most countries, and our legal and practical ability to control those agents’ compliance activities is limited. To assist in managing and monitoring money laundering and terrorist financing risks, we have developed and continue to enhance our global compliance programs, including an anti-money laundering compliance program comprised of policies, procedures, systems and internal controls. As of December 31, 2008, we have approximately 300 employees in a number of our offices around the world dedicated to our global compliance programs and we spend over $40 million annually on these efforts.

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Government agencies both inside and outside the United States may impose new or additional rules on money transfers affecting us or our agents, including regulations that:

One example of such new rules is the Payment Services Directive (“PSD”) which was adopted in the European Union (“EU”) in November 2007. Under the PSD, the licensing and other legal requirements for offering money transfer and other payment services within EU countries will be harmonized. Currently, the laws regarding licensing and the provision of these services differ significantly among these countries. The PSD will impose new rules on payment service providers like Western Union and its EU-based agents, as well as present new opportunities to engage agents in classes of trade that were previously not permissible in certain member states. The PSD will be effective on November 1, 2009. We are developing plans to capitalize on these new opportunities and are evaluating the legal and operational requirements and impact the PSD will have on our business and the competitive environment in Europe.

Escheat Regulations

Our company is subject to unclaimed or abandoned property (escheat) laws in the United States and abroad. These laws require us to turn over to certain government authorities the property of others held by our company that has been unclaimed for a specified period of time, such as unpaid money transfers. We hold property subject to escheat laws and we have an ongoing program to comply with the laws. Although we believe we are in compliance with all applicable laws, we are subject to audits with regard to our escheatment practices.

Privacy and Information Security Regulations

The collection, transfer, use and storage of personal information is required to provide our services. These activities are subject to information security, data privacy and related laws and regulations in the United States and other countries. In the United States, data privacy laws such as the federal Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, California SB1/ SB1386 and various state laws apply directly to a broad range of financial institutions including money transmitters like Western Union, and indirectly to companies that provide services to those institutions. Many state laws require us to provide notification to affected individuals, state officers and consumer reporting agencies in the event of a security breach of computer databases or physical documents that contain certain types of non public personal information. These regulations and laws also impose requirements for safeguarding personal information through the issuance of internal data security standards, controls or guidelines.

The collection, transfer, use and storage of personal information required to provide our services is subject to data privacy laws outside of the United States, such as laws adopted pursuant to the European Union’s 95/46 EC Directive of the European Parliament (the “Data Protection Directive”), Canada’s Personal Information

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Protection and Electronic Documents Act, individual European national laws and data privacy laws of other provinces or countries. In some cases, the laws of a country may be more restrictive than the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act or the laws developed under the Data Protection Directive and may impose additional duties on companies. Each of these laws may restrict the collection, transfer, processing, storage, use and disclosure of sensitive personal information, may require notice to individuals of privacy practices and may give individuals certain rights to prevent the use or disclosure of sensitive personal information. These regulations and laws may also impose requirements for safeguarding personal information through the issuance of internal data security standards, controls or guidelines.

In connection with regulatory requirements to assist in the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing and pursuant to legal obligations and authorizations, Western Union makes information available to United States federal and state, as well as certain foreign government agencies, when required by law. In recent years, these agencies have increased their requests for such information from Western Union and other companies (both financial service providers and others), particularly in connection with efforts to prevent terrorist financing. During the same period, there has also been increased public attention regarding the corporate use and disclosure of personal information, accompanied by legislation and regulations intended to strengthen data protection, information security and consumer privacy. These regulatory goals—the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing and the protection of consumer privacy—may conflict, and the law in these areas is not consistent or settled. While we believe that Western Union is compliant with its regulatory responsibilities, the legal, political and business environments in these areas are rapidly changing, and subsequent legislation, regulation, litigation, court rulings or other events could expose Western Union to increased program costs, liability and reputational damage.

Banking Regulation

Western Union International Bank operates under a banking license granted by the Austrian Financial Market Authority (“FMA”), allowing the bank to offer a range of financial services in the 27 member states of the European Union and the three additional states of the European Economic Area. The banking license subjects our bank to the Austrian Banking Act regulation by the FMA and the Austrian National Bank. The bank also is subject to regulation, examination and supervision by the New York State Banking Department (the “Banking Department”), which has regulatory authority over our subsidiary that holds all interest in the bank, a limited liability investment company organized under Article XII of the New York Banking Law. An Agreement of Supervision with the Banking Department imposes various regulatory requirements including operational limitations, capital requirements, affiliate transaction limitations, and notice and reporting requirements. Banking Department approval is required under the New York Banking Law and the Agreement of Supervision prior to any change in control of the Article XII investment company.

Since Western Union International Bank does not operate any banking offices in the United States and does not conduct business in the United States except as may be incidental to its activities outside the United States, our company’s affiliation with Western Union International Bank does not cause it to be subject to the provisions of the Bank Holding Company Act.

In Brazil, we have submitted applications to the Central Bank of Brazil for commercial bank and exchange broker licenses. Such licenses will enable us to engage in financial services which we are unable to provide today, including domestic money transfer and bill payments.

Other

Some of our services are subject to card association rules and regulations. For example, an independent standards-setting organization, the Payment Card Industry (“PCI”) Security Standards Council, including American Express, Discover Financial Services, JCB International, MasterCard Worldwide and Visa Inc. International developed a set of comprehensive requirements concerning payment card account security through

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the transaction process, called the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (“PCI DSS”). All merchants and service providers that store, process and transmit payment card data are required to comply with PCI DSS as a condition to accepting credit cards. We are subject to annual reviews to ensure compliance with PCI regulations worldwide and are subject to fines if we are found to be non-compliant. We are currently working with the company that performed the annual review on a plan to remediate non-compliance with certain provisions of PCI DSS.

Stored-value services offered by Western Union prepaid services are subject to federal and state laws and regulations related to consumer protection, licensing, escheat and money laundering. These laws are evolving, unclear and sometimes inconsistent, and the extent to which these laws apply to Western Union or its consumers is in a state of change. We are unable to determine the impact that the clarification of these laws and their future interpretations may have on these services.

The Separation of Western Union from First Data

Until September 29, 2006, the Company was a wholly owned subsidiary of First Data. The spin-off by First Data of its money transfer and consumer payments businesses became effective on September 29, 2006 through a distribution of 100% of the common stock of The Western Union Company to the holders of record of First Data’s common stock (the “Distribution”). We have received a private letter ruling from the Internal Revenue Service and an opinion from tax counsel indicating that the spin-off was tax free to the First Data stockholders, First Data and Western Union. Refer to Item 1A of Part I for additional details on tax risks associated with the spin-off from First Data.

We entered into various agreements with First Data prior to the spin-off which will have potential impacts on our business in future periods, including:

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Employees and Labor

As of January 31, 2009, our businesses employed approximately 5,900 employees.

Available Information

The Western Union Company is a Delaware corporation and its principal executive offices are located at 12500 East Belford Avenue, Englewood, CO, 80112, telephone (866) 405-5012. The Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports are available free of charge through the “Financial Information” portion of the Company’s web site, www.westernunion.com, as soon as reasonably practical after they are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the “SEC.” The SEC maintains a web site, www.sec.gov, which contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information filed electronically with the SEC by the Company.

Christina A. Gold is our President, Chief Executive Officer and one of our directors. Prior to taking these positions in September 2006, she was a Senior Executive Vice President of First Data and President of Western Union since May 2002. From October 1999 to May 2002, she was Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Excel Communications, Inc. Ms. Gold served as President and Chief Executive Officer of The Beaconsfield Group from March 1998 to October 1999. In 1970, she joined Avon Products, Inc., serving as President of Avon Canada from 1989 to 1993, President of Avon North America from 1993 to 1997 and Executive Vice President of Global Development from 1997 to 1998. Ms. Gold is a Director of ITT Corporation and New York Life Insurance Company.

Liz Alicea-Velez is our Executive Vice President, Latin America/Caribbean. Prior to taking this position in February 2007, she served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Western Union’s Latin America/Caribbean region, President of Orlandi Valuta and President of Vigo Remittance Corporation from February 2006 to February 2007. From September 2002 to February 2006, Ms. Alicea-Velez served as Senior Vice

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President and General Manager of Western Union’s Domestic Money Transfer and Retail Money Order businesses, and as President of Orlandi Valuta. Prior to that time, she served as Area Vice President of Western Union’s Latin America/Caribbean region from January 1999 to September 2002. Ms. Alicea-Velez joined First Data in 1992.

Guy A. Battista is our Executive Vice President and President of Western Union Financial Services, Inc. Prior to taking this position in September 2006, he was an Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of First Data since March 2001. Mr. Battista joined First Data in 1990.

Royal Cole is our Executive Vice President and General Manager, Payment Services. Mr. Cole has had responsibility for Western Union’s Payment Services including Retail Money Orders and Prepaid Services since December 2005. Mr. Cole also led our United States Agent Network Management group from February 2007 until June 2008. From December 2001 to December 2005, he was Senior Vice President and General Manager of Agent Network Management for Western Union. Prior to that time, Mr. Cole was Senior Vice President and General Manager of ValueLink from November 1999 to November 2001. Prior to joining Western Union in 1991, Mr. Cole held sales and sales management positions with the Pepsi-Cola Company.

Hikmet Ersek is our Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Europe/Middle East/Africa/Asia. From September 2006 to December 2008, Mr. Ersek served as Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Europe/Middle East/Africa/South Asia. Prior to September 2006, Mr. Ersek held various positions with Western Union. From March 2004 to September 2006, he was Senior Vice President, Europe/Middle East/Africa/South Asia and from October 2002 to March 2004 he was Senior Vice President, Europe/Middle East/Africa. Prior to that time, Mr. Ersek was Regional Vice President, Central and Eastern Europe from July 2001 to October 2002. Prior to joining Western Union in September 1999, Mr. Ersek was with GE Capital specializing in European payment systems and consumer finance.

Gail Galuppo is our Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. Prior to joining Western Union in September 2007, Ms. Galuppo was the Chief Marketing and Customer Officer of Standard Chartered Bank from August 2006, and the Global Head of Credit Cards of Standard Chartered Bank from September 2005 to August 2006. From April 2001 to August 2005, Ms. Galuppo led brand management, promotional retail marketing and product category strategy for Sears, Roebuck and Company, most recently serving as its Vice President, Brand and Category Strategy.

Robin Heller is our Executive Vice President, Operations and IT. Prior to taking this position in September 2006, she was Senior Vice President, Global Operations for First Data since November 2004. From July 2003 to November 2004, Ms. Heller served in a similar capacity with Western Union. Prior to that time, she was Senior Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Operations for Western Union Commercial Services from July 2002 until June 2003 and Senior Vice President, Operations and Client Management for IPS, a First Data subsidiary, from July 2000 until June 2002. Ms. Heller joined First Data in 1988.

Anne McCarthy is our Executive Vice President of Communications and Corporate Affairs. Prior to joining Western Union in March 2007, Ms. McCarthy was the Senior Vice President of Global Communications of SAP A.G. starting in August 2003. She served as Vice President of Communications for the DuPont Company from April 2002 until July 2003.

Scott Scheirman is our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of our company. Prior to taking this position in September 2006, Mr. Scheirman held a variety of positions with First Data, including Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Western Union from 1999 to September 2006. Prior to joining First Data in 1992, Mr. Scheirman was with Ernst & Young LLP.

David Schlapbach is our Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. Prior to taking these positions in September 2006, Mr. Schlapbach held a variety of positions at First Data since joining it in 1996, including Deputy General Counsel—International, with responsibility for First Data’s legal matters outside the

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United States. In this capacity, he worked in First Data’s Paris office for four years, returning in 2004 to become General Counsel for Western Union. Prior to joining First Data, Mr. Schlapbach was an attorney at the law firm of Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin LLP in St. Louis, Missouri. Mr. Schlapbach also serves as the Chairman of the Board of the Western Union Foundation.

Stewart A. Stockdale is our Executive Vice President and President, The Americas. Prior to taking this position in November 2008, Mr. Stockdale served as Executive Vice President and President, United States and Canada, from June 2008 with Western Union. Prior to joining Western Union in June 2008, Mr. Stockdale served as the President of Simon Brand Ventures and as Chief Marketing Officer of Simon Property Group since 2002.

Grover Wray is our Executive Vice President of Human Resources. Prior to taking this position in September 2006, Mr. Wray joined First Data as Senior Vice President, Human Resources for Western Union in October 2005. Prior to joining Western Union, from January 2004 to September 2005, Mr. Wray was Vice President, Leadership and Professional Development and Staffing, for Janus Capital Group. Previously, Mr. Wray served as Chief Human Resource Officer, North America for Heidrick & Struggles from 2003 to 2004. From 1988 to 2003, he held increasingly responsible senior management roles at Arthur Andersen LLP, culminating in the role of Managing Partner of Human Resources in North America.

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