Western Union Expands Community Development Initiative throughout Mexico

“The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU), a leader in global money transfer services, announced today the expansion of the 4+1 Program to the State of Veracruz. Since last year, Western Union has been working with federal, state and local officials in Mexico to implement this pioneering initiative, supporting economic development projects across local communities in Zacatecas and four other Mexican states.

For the second time in less than a year, Christina Gold, CEO, Western Union, visited Mexico to meet with key Western Union Agents and top government officials involved in economic development and the remittance industry. In addition to the 4+1 Program, they discussed matters regarding social responsibility and competition within the Mexican market.

“Western Union is deeply committed to all the communities we serve around the globe, and Mexico is no exception,” said Mario Hernandez, Director of Public Affairs, Western Union, who accompanied Ms. Gold on her trip to Mexico. “Our dedication to the Latin American and U.S. Hispanic consumer grows stronger every day, through our corporate giving campaigns, improved service and lower rates.”

In the initial stages of the program, Western Union donated funds for eight projects in Zacatecas communities. These included an eco-tourism park, fruit and vegetable processing, nopal farming, agribusiness equipment, a pork farm and a computer assembly plant. In all, Western Union will contribute at least $1.25 million to these and other projects in several Mexican states.

The 4+1 program is an extension of the 3X1 Program, established by the Mexican government in partnership with Mexican Hometown Associations in the United States. The Western Union Company is the first private-sector company to participate.

“Western Union is helping the community here on many levels,”said Esthela Valencia, President of Zacatecano Federation of Northern California. “Not only have they made it easier to send money to our families, but they continue to show a commitment to crucial development projects in our communities back home.”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hispanics constitute the fastest-growing segment of the American population with more than 43 million people now residing in the U.S. Approximately two-thirds of these are Mexican, many of whom regularly send remittances to their families in Mexico. According to the Bank of Mexico, total remittances to Mexico totaled more than $23 billion in 2006.

About Western Union
Western Union, together with its affiliates Orlandi Valuta and Vigo, is a leading provider of global money transfer services, providing people with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send money around the world, pay bills and purchase money orders through a network of more than 305,000 Agent locations in over 200 countries and territories. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com. “

• Ricardo Salinas Breaks Ground for What Will Be the Most Modern Television Studio in Latin America – Mexico City
• Brazil replaces Mexico as China’s top market in Latin America and boosts its surplus as well.
• The mayor of a wealthy suburb (San Pedro Garza Garcia) of Monterrey said Monday that he has sent his family to the United States for their own safety as he pursues his campaign against extortion and kidnapping gangs.
• Expert: Juárez violence a ‘terrorist war’
• Mexican Mennonites Impacted by Drug Violence
• Mexican farmers reeling from worst drought in decades
• Mexico City’s famed dance-for-peso halls fading
• Americans Running South: Why We are Flocking to Mexico for Work
• On the mayor’s agenda: ‘Civilize’ Mexico City – Marcelo Ebrard
• Juárez violence: Drug-war brutality persists despite presence of military
• Mexican doctors pointed to parents as the reason Mexico leads the world in child obesity, a problem made worse in this country by the lack of sports training.
• LatAm Immigrants Are Changing Spain, Sociologist Says
• Mexico’s top domestic security official said Friday that sectors of the general public have cooperated with drug cartels in the violent border city of Ciudad Juarez, and the government is about to launch new social programs there to combat gangs.
• Susana Iglesias, writing from the streets – Mexico City native is winner of the first-ever Aura Estrada Prize, an international competition for young women writing literature in Spanish.
• Mexican authorities predict fewer Mexican immigrants will be back home for Christmas
• Mapping Out Mexico – Navigating your way through Mexico can be tricky business sometimes – MexicoMaps.com
• The current global crisis will cause the number of poor people in Latin America to rise by 9 million to 189 million this year, the U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean said in a report presented on Thursday.
• Mexican migrants are spending more money on taxes in the United States than on the remittances they send home to relatives, according to a new study by Mexico’s largest bank, BBVA Bancomer.
• Ana Maria Perez Gonzalez, said to be the oldest woman in the world, died in Mexico this week. She was 119.
• Welcome Ceremony for José Hernández Moreno, NASA Astronaut in México