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Payment processor First Data Corp. says it has renewed a merchant-referral agreement with PNC Bank, a unit of Pittsburgh-based PNC Financial Services Group. During a conference call last week to discuss First Data's second-quarter results (CardLine 8/14), Michael Capellas, First Data CEO and chairman, said the eight-year deal now includes most of the National City bank locations PNC acquired late last year. PNC says it has more than 2,600 branches in 14 states and Washington, D.C. Atlanta-based First Data also renewed and expanded a processing agreement with PNC in which First Data is providing debit and credit card and ATM processing, Capellas said. First Data also is providing to PNC small-business and home-equity loan processing, fraud and collection services and prepaid card processing. Neither PNC nor First Data would say when the two companies began working together.
