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Century Payments Inc. bought National Merchant Solutions, a Birmingham, Ala.-based independent sales organization for an undisclosed sum, marking Century's fourth such acquisition since January (CardLine, 1/15). Century started in January backed by $50 million from Austin Ventures, an Austin, Texas-based venture capital firm. Dallas-based Century's latest acquisition expands the company's presence in the Southeast, Robert Wechsler, Century president and CEO, tells CardLine sister publication ISO&Agent Weekly. Though he declined to say how many merchants Century has as customers, Wechsler says the firm has more than 200 salespeople nationwide. Century liked National Merchant Solutions because the sales staff is "highly productive" and its leadership has similar goals for growth, Wechsler says. Michael Rovner, an Austin Ventures partner, says his firm, with Wechsler's guidance, continues to look for companies to buy. "The list of folks we're talking to today is quite long," Rovner tells ISO&Agent Weekly.
