Announced Action for June 14, 2002

The Commission has approved a hold separate trustee agreement in the matter concerning Solvay S.A.'s (Solvay) acquisition of Ausimont S.p.A. As part of the FTC's proposed decision and order in this merger matter, announced on May 2, 2002, a hold separate order appoints Rajiv Gupta as the hold separate trustee and requires Solvay to enter into an agreement with the trustee that gives him the rights and authorities required to perform his duties under the order. Through this action, the FTC has approved the agreement reached between Solvay and the trustee, as per the terms of the hold separate order. The vote to approve the agreement was 5-0. (Docket No. C-4046; staff contact is Arthur M. Strong, Bureau of Competition, 202-326-3478; see press release dated May 2, 2002.)

Commission authorization to file amended complaint:

The Commission has authorized the staff filing of an amended complaint in the matter currently pending against Certified Merchant Services, LTD, et al. (CMS). The original complaint, announced on February 13, 2002, alleges that CMS, an Independent Sales Organization, engaged in unfair and deceptive practices related to the marketing of credit- and debit-card merchant accounts to small businesses nationwide. Through the amended complaint, which is available on the Commission's Web site, the FTC has added specific allegations to the existing counts based on new evidence. In addition, a fourth corporate entity (which allegedly is under the control of the individual defendants) also has been named as a defendant. The vote to authorize filing of the amended complaint was 5-0. (FTC File No. X020017; Civ. No. 4:02 CV 44 (E.D. TX); staff contact is Douglas V. Wolfe, Bureau of Consumer Protection, 202-326-3113; see press release dated February 13, 2002.)

Copies of the documents mentioned in this release are available from the FTC's Web site at http://www.ftc.gov and also from the FTC's Consumer Response Center, Room 130, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. Call toll-free: 1-877-FTC-HELP.