In the Western Union in the 30s of the 20th century worked 14 thousand couriers delivering telegrams. Leaving the idea of expansion into Europe, Western Union took up the expansion of services in the U.S. market. In October 2006 the company made an initial public offering of shares on the New York Stock Exchange, becoming independent from First Data company. Number of active holders of "Golden Card" of Western Union amounted to 9.5 million people worldwide.