FIRST DATA CORP
8-K, 2000-01-27
COMPUTER PROCESSING & DATA PREPARATION
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<PAGE>

                      SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                            Washington, D.C.  20549



                                   FORM 8-K



               Current Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
                      The Securities Exchange Act of 1934


Date of Report (date of earliest event reported):  January 28, 2000




                            FIRST DATA CORPORATION
                            ----------------------
            (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


         Delaware                        1-11073                 47-0731996
- ----------------------------     ------------------------    -------------------
(State of other jurisdiction     (Commission File Number)     (IRS Employer or
of incorporation)                                            Identification No.)


     5660 New Northside Drive, Suite 1400, Atlanta, Georgia             30328
- -----------------------------------------------------------------     ----------
           (Address of principal executive offices)                   (Zip Code)


Registrant's telephone number, including area code   (770) 857-0001
                                                    -----------------


                                      N/A
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
         (Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
<PAGE>

Item 5.   Other Events

On January 28, 2000, the Registrant held a meeting, in person and by telephone
conference call, at which certain "forward-looking statements" were made.
Attached as Exhibit 99.1 is a copy of such Forward-Looking Statements and
Related Cautionary Statements Required by the Safe Harbor Provisions of the
Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

                                       2
<PAGE>

                                   SIGNATURE



     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.



                                 FIRST DATA CORPORATION


                                 By: /s/ Thomas A. Rossi
                                    ------------------------------
                                    Thomas A. Rossi
                                    Assistant Secretary


Dated: January 28, 2000

                                       3
<PAGE>

                                 EXHIBIT INDEX



Exhibit No.    Description                                             Page
- -----------    -----------                                             ----

   99.1        Forward-Looking Statements and Related Cautionary         5
               Statements Required by the Safe Harbor Provisions of
               The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

                                       4

<PAGE>

                                                                    Exhibit 99.1

          FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND RELATED CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS

Forward-Looking Statements
- --------------------------

     First Data Corporation 2000 Earnings Projection

            .   The Company expects to deliver earnings per
                share in 2000 in the range of $1.95 to $2.02.

     Card Issuer Services Expectations

            .   Revenue growth in the low double digits
            .   Operating profit growth in mid teens
            .   Operating margin in the high teens

     Merchant Services Expectations

            .   Revenue growth in low double digits
            .   Operating profit growth high teens to 20%
            .   Operating Margins in the high 20s

     Payment Instruments Expectations

            .   Revenue growth high teens to 20%
            .   Operating profit growth in high teens
            .   Operating margin in high 20s

     The Company intends to make the meeting presentation materials available
for a period of time under the investor information site on its internet home
page at www.firstdatacorp.com.

Notice to Investors, Prospective Investors and the Investment Community
- -----------------------------------------------------------------------

     In passing the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the
"Reform Act"), Congress encouraged public companies to make forward-looking
statements by creating a safe-harbor to protect companies from securities law
liability in connection with forward-looking statements.  To qualify forward-
looking statements for protection under the Reform Act, a company must identify
forward-looking statements as such and identify important factors that could
cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking
statement.

                                       5
<PAGE>

     All forward looking statements are inherently uncertain as they are based
on various expectations and assumptions concerning future events and they are
subject to numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties which could cause
actual events or results to differ materially from those projected.

     Important factors currently known to management upon which the Company's
forward-looking statements are premised include the following:

     .   Continued growth at rates approximating recent levels for card-based
         payment transactions, consumer money transfer transactions and other
         product markets.
     .   No undiscovered Year 2000 computer errors and no unanticipated post-
         Year 2000 date-related computer disruptions.
     .   Successful conversions under service contracts with major clients.
     .   Renewal of material contracts in the Company's business units
         consistent with past experience.
     .   Timely, successful and cost effective implementation of processing
         systems to provide new products, improved functionality and increased
         efficiencies, particularly in the Card Issuer Services segment.
     .   Continuing development and maintenance of appropriate business
         continuity plans for the Company's processing systems based on the
         needs and risks relative to each such system.
     .   Absence of consolidation among client financial institutions or other
         client groups which has a significant impact on FDC client
         relationships and no material loss of business resulting from
         significant customers of the Company involved in announced mergers.
     .   Achieving planned revenue growth throughout the Company, including in
         the merchant alliance program which involves several joint ventures
         not under the sole control of the Company and each of which acts
         independently of the others, and successful management of pricing
         pressures through cost efficiencies and other cost management
         initiatives.
     .   Anticipation of and response to technological changes, particularly
         with respect to e-commerce.
     .   No imposition of a Value Added Tax on third-party credit card
         processing services by the European Community ("EC"), which could put
         credit card processing outsourcers at a competitive disadvantage to
         in-house solutions in the EC.
     .   No unanticipated changes in laws, regulations, credit card association
         rules or other industry standards affecting FDC's businesses which
         require significant product redevelopment efforts, reduce the market
         for or value of its products, or render products obsolete.
     .   Continuation of the existing interest rate environment, avoiding
         increases in agent fees related to the Company's consumer money
         transfer products and the Company's short-term borrowing costs.

                                       6
<PAGE>

     .   Absence of significant changes in foreign exchange spreads on retail
         money transfer transactions, particularly between the United States
         and Mexico, without a corresponding increase in volume or consumer
         fees.
     .   No unanticipated developments relating to previously disclosed
         lawsuits against Western Union, inter alia, violation of consumer
         protection laws in connection with advertising the cost of money
         transfer to Mexico.
     .   Successfully managing the potential both for patent protection and
         patent liability in the context of rapidly developing legal framework
         for expansive software patent protection.
     .   Continued political stability in countries in which Western Union has
         material operations.

     Variations from these assumptions or failure to achieve these objectives
could cause actual results to differ from those projected in the forward-looking
statement. Due to the uncertainties inherent in forward-looking statements,
readers are urged not to place undue reliance on these statements. In addition,
FDC undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to
reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events, or changes
to projections over time.

                                       7


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