About Total System Services Inc.
Pay up
Total System Services, Inc., better known to its closer friends as TSYS, is one of the world’s largest credit card payment processors—serving banks and private-label card issuers the world over. The company offers its clients credit authorization, payment processing, merchant acquiring, account management, e-commerce services, card issuance, call-center operations, customer loyalty programs, prepaid programs and fraud monitoring.
Charging ahead
The credit card system was in its infancy in 1959 when The Columbus Bank and Trust Company (now part of Synovus Financial Corp.) became the second bank in
Plans for world domination
In 1992, TSYS added mass mailing capabilities to its transaction processing services for billing and marketing purposes. Three years later, the company inked a deal with Mexican bank Controladora Prosa, expanding abroad under the name TSYS de Mexico. Geographic expansion continued in 2006 for TSYS; the company acquired Card Tech, a U.K.-based company, and made further inroads into Asia with a deal to handle transactions for the credit arm of
Hey, big spender
In October 2006, Bank of America—which accounted for nearly a quarter of TSYS’ total revenue that year—opted to move its credit card processing over to MBNA’s system, following the merger of the two companies. TSYS didn’t predict that losing business with Bank of America would cost a 25 percent decline in revenue for 2007, though, forecasting only a decrease of between 3 and 5 percent for the fiscal year. The company was vindicated when it posted total revenue of $1.806 billion in 2007, a 1 percent increase from $1.722 billion in 2006, counting the Bank of America termination fee.
Breaking free
In October 2007, Synovus agreed to distribute its TSYS shares to Synovus shareholders, making TSYS a fully independent company. In his 2007 letter to stockholders, chairman and CEO Philip Tomlinson saw the spin-off as an opportunity for TSYS to fulfill its potential of a broader investor base and better position in its industry. The following year, the company did enjoy its newfound freedom, establishing itself in
1600 First Avenue
Columbus, GA 31901
Phone: (706) 649-2310
Employer Type: Public
Stock Symbol: TSS
Stock Exchange: NYSE
Chairman & CEO: Philip W. Tomlinson
2008 Employees (All Locations): 6,921