JUSTICE DEPARTMENT STATEMENT REGARDING FIRST DATA/CONCORD TRIAL SCHEDULE

The following press release was published by the US Department of Justice on Oct. 29, 2003. It is reproduced in full below.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OCTOBER 29, 2003 WWW.USDOJ.GOV AT (202) 514-2007 TDD (202) 514-1888 WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Department of Justice issued the following statement today after the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued an order scheduling the First Data and Concord trial to begin on Dec. 15, 2003: "The Department will comply with the Court’s schedule and try this case on Dec. 15, 2003. The Department firmly believes that it has a strong case against First Data and Concord, and will be ready to present evidence in Court proving that the merger would substantially reduce competition among PIN debit networks, resulting in higher prices to merchants that offer PIN debit transactions to their customers." 03-592

Source: US Department of Justice