NEW YORK — Wal-Mart is delving deeper into financial services at its stores and shaking up the money transfer business.The world's largest retailer introduced a new money transfer service Thursday that it says will cut fees for its low-income customers by up to 50 percent compared with similar services elsewhere. The Walmart-2-Walmart service is being rolled out in partnership with Ria Money Transfer, a subsidiary of Euronet Worldwide Inc.Shares of money-transfer companies MoneyGram and Western Union slid Thursday.The service, which will be available starting April 24, allows its customers to transfer up to $900 to and from more than 4,000 Wal-Mart stores in the U.S.It's a huge footprint that could reshape that industry and is likely to set off a pricing battle.parable services elsewhere cost up to $70 when transferring less than $1,000, according to Wal-Mart.Western Union on its website puts the price of transferring $900 in New York between $20, if using a bank account, to $85 if using a credit or debit card.

Wal-Mart's announcement is the latest way it's acting more like a bank. About a decade ago, Wal-Mart applied unsuccessfully for an industrial bank charter. Those efforts were blocked even though the retailer vowed it would not open retail branches but wanted to use its bank to process card transactions. meerkat hoodieIn 2007, it abandoned those plans, but it has been creating an expanding menu of financial offerings for customers, aimed particularly at those with limited access to banks. rmcad hoodieWal-Mart already offers prepaid cards, check cashing services, and tax preparation services.hoodie kyuhyun super juniorShares of MoneyGram International Inc., which could get hit the hardest, fell 18 percent to close at $14.81. roush hoodie

MoneyGram is the company that currently provides money transfers to Wal-Mart. The stock of Western Union Co., its rival, fell 5 percent to $15.25.MoneyGram is not "taking any pricing actions" at Wal-Mart or at any other US location in response to Wal-Mart's actions, MoneyGram said in an emailed statement. hoodie lfcIt said that Wal-Mart is its single largest corporate customer, but has been decreasing as a percentage of its revenue for the past five years.buy ymcmb hoodie onlineIn a statement emailed to The Associated Press, Western Union said, "Our retail product and service offerings today are already quite diverse. "exo wolf hoodie officialWestern Union noted that people have the flexibility to send money in minutes or next day from a retail agent location or online and they can also send money directly into a bank account."

The company is well positioned in the US domestic money transfer space, having offered a fee of $5 for $50 since 2009," Western Union added.Wal-Mart is aggressively trying to increase foot traffic in its stores after seeing comparable-store sales decline for four consecutive quarters.The Walmart-2-Walmart service may help stem that trend, giving customers just one more reason to spend more time inside Wal-Mart.Daniel Eckert, Wal-Mart's senior vice president of services, said that the move into the money transfer business gained momentum after company officials heard complaints from customers about high fees elsewhere. He acknowledged in a conference call Thursday that the program could bring more customers into stores, but he insisted that the goal is to offer shoppers more financial choices.Eckert told reporters that it didn't alert MoneyGram that it was teaming up with Ria, but said that for more than a decade Wal-Mart has had a strong partnership with MoneyGram and that it renewed its contract in 2012.

He pointed out that MoneyGram has no money transfer limits and customers can transfer funds outside the US using its services."Walmart-2-Walmart brings new competition and transparent, everyday low prices to a market that has become complicated and costly for our customers," Eckert said.According to a 2011 study conducted by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., 29 percent of American households do not have a savings account, while about 10 percent do not have a checking account.Shares of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., based in Bentonville, Ark., rose 44 cents to $77.66 Thursday.Oklahoma City Thunder Russell Westbrook NBA Youth Name And Number T-Shirt The official scorer ruled this a 404 error. Advance to FOX Sports Home.McLoud Public Schools closed Friday due to excessive student, staff illness Norman police release video of interview with Amelia Molitor Norman police interview Amelia Molitor after incident involving Joe Mixon Seminole County firefighters battle grass fire Gov. Fallin submits $1.4B worth of transportation projects

Interesting items crews find while cleaning the Bricktown Canal Oklahomans share photos of winter weather Gallery: Ice storm damage in northwest Oklahoma Oklahomans share what they are hopeful for in 2017 Gallery: Oklahomans enjoy overnight snowfall around the statePrevious Day #25 - 2011 Bike Across USA Main Page - Next Day #27 Day 26: Madill, OK to Durant, OK 26 Miles - Headwind Out of Madill, OK; Comped by Best Western Markita Inn in Durant, OK - March 17, 2011 The U.S. and Oklahoma flags whipping above the Wal-Mart in Madill, Oklahoma. The wind was not my friend today. For the first ten miles from Madill to Kingston, Highway 70 runs southeast, and the morning wind blazed through as it did last night. It was 25-30 mph from SSE - a nasty headwind. I biked in it for about two miles to the edge of Madill, and at the Wal-Mart, I had to take a breather. I walked around the Wal-Mart, not needing to buy much, but I had to get inside.

Soon I sat on a bench in front with the bike tied up. That's when I met Bobby Parker, a friendly local man who noticed my bike and asked the common questions I often heard about my tour. We talked about southern Oklahoma and Lake Texoma, which I'd cross later today. The wind was blowing so hard that we had to speak up and stand close to each other. "I'm heading toward Kingston and this wind will be against me. I guess I gotta suck it up and go. I can't sit here all day." I said with a smile. When he learned I live in Colorado, he shared about his many vacations to the San Juan Mountain region. Durango is his favorite Colorado town and we talked about the state's different mountain regions. Bobby made me a little homesick, but I thought it was also good to think of home, even if I did I encouraged Bobby to come back soon, sounding like a Colorado tourism representative, and then I went on my way. He wished me the best. Out of Madill, I battled against that brutal headwind.

It hindered me so much that even on a level road, I was in my granny gear. The wind's noise blotted the sounds of traffic coming from behind. Cracks and bumps in the shoulder made me frustrated - more like aggravated. But I made it to Kingston, and then the road mercifully turned east, transforming that crazy south-southest wind into a fierce crosswind, at a miniscule angle in front. I stopped at stores more frequently to rest and take cover. First, the Wal-Mart in Madill, then a store in Kingston, and then this Texoma Travel Stop with a large casino inside. I crossed Lake Texoma, one of the largest American reservoirs formed by the Denison Dam on the Red River. As you can see, I didn't have much shoulder. Thankfully, no one blared their horn at me. In Mead, OK, I stopped once again at a large gas station and convenience store. I was only 20 miles into my ride, but the day was becoming long and exhausting. Nothing was working well.

I ate a personal-sized pizza; it tasted great but it had a "gutt bomb" affect to I felt so lazy getting back on the bike. But first, I walked around and noticed a rack of gift items with Texas sports teams. Sure, Texas was across the nearby Red River, but what about the Oklahoma City Thunder, Oklahoma Sooners or Oklahoma State Cowboys? Feeling Beat-Up In Durant, Oklahoma Photo Above: The view of Highway 70 eastbound as it intersects Highway 75, the main route from Dallas to Tulsa. I arrived in Durant, and on top of being frazzled and beat-up by the wind, I faced another dilemna regarding the location of motels on the route. Beyond Durant, the nearest motel was 50 miles in Hugo. ordinary day, I'd probably think I could make it, but I didn't feel confident today. Then I opted for lunch at a Chinese buffet restaurant before making a final decision. Well, after stuffing my face with way too much food, I had accepted that I was done.

This felt similar to two days ago in Waurika, but this time I had only gone 26 miles. Best Western Markita Inn In proximity were restaurants and hotel chains one would typically see at an intersection of two major highways. The two closest inns were a lower-end motel called either the Economy Inn or Budget Inn (funny how so many are named that!) and a Best Western Inn. Just like Snyder, Texas, I walked into the higher-end Best Western lodge, asked for their rate and expected to hear a price that was above my budget. The woman behind the counter and I discussed my bike across America journey, and when I told her I began in Huntington Beach, she reacted with nostalgia about how she lived in Orange County for many years. We had a connection! She marveled that I made it all the way to Durant, Oklahoma in 26 days. We discussed the Smile for a Lifetime Foundation, the charity I was promoting, and within minutes she gave me a free room.

Overjoyed, I knew I had to get a happy picture of myself in front of my hotel room. Originally I was uneasy about yet another underperforming cycling day, but deep down, I knew I was being hard on myself. As I saw it, this free hotel room was confirmation from Divine Providence that I needed to stay in Durant. Special thanks to Tricia in Arizona (who biked with me on Day 9), who chatted with me by phone when I firstShe pointed out I had only taken two days off in 26 days. That meant I was probably was due for a rest day anyway. Also, she validated my frustrations about today's wind and how demoralizing a strong headwind or crosswind can be. I needed to hear that from a fellow bicyclist. It was only 2 p.m. after I showered. I got some extra sleep on my soft and comfy bed, and remained horizontal and under the sheetsI treated this like a rest day. The Best Western Inn was so nice. I loved the red heated light in the bathroom! Previous Day #25 -