American Express relies on the Data Room Services virtual data room in its acquisition of Loyalty Partner

American Express takes over the company behind Payback for around 500 million euros

Frankfurt, January 4th, 2011 - Loyalty Partner, a leading provider of customer loyalty programs in Germany, Poland and India will be taken over by American Express. The transaction, which should receive legal authorization in the first quarter of 2011, has a stated value of 496 million euros. The stated value consists of a payment of 425 million euros and an equity stake from Loyalty Partner's management - who all remain onboard - of about 71 million euros. Loyalty Partner is known mostly for its Payback customer cards, but it also provides customers with market analysis and consultancy services.

With the acquisition, American Express continues to execute its corporate strategy of tapping into potential areas for growth and strengthening its international presence. The New York-based credit card company has been able to increase its global customer portfolio by 34 million customers with this single transaction. Loyalty Partner benefits from the merger by gaining immediate entry into new international markets.

Data Room Services provided the virtual data room for the transaction. Customizable rights management enables carefully timed access to confidential documents by both internal and external parties. Additionally, the intuitive user interface makes administering the data room easy. Most important, however, is the fact that the unique viewing technology makes it the best platform in the market for secure and fast parallel due diligence processes.