Western Union has taken of 451st position in the rating Fortune 500 in 2009, having moved from 473rd line in 2008. In 1860 the U.S. Congress arranged among the telegraph companies a competition to create a national line. The winner was Western Union. Western Union offers one of the easiest ways for families and friends to send money and stay connected almost anywhere in the world. Payment systems are one of basic elements of infrastructure of e-commerce. In 1879 Western Union left the telephone business after losing a lawsuit against Alexander Graham Bell - the patent holder on the phone. The first offices of company were located in the Reynolds Arcade building in Rochester, New York. The sign above the main entrance to the building - Number of active holders of "Golden Card" of Western Union amounted to 9.5 million people worldwide.