Visa Faces Antitrust Investigation Over Debit-Card Practices
The Justice Department's antitrust division is asking whether Visa, the largest U.S. card network, has limited merchants' ability to route debit-card transactions over card networks that are often less expensive.
The Justice Department is investigating whether Visa Inc. is engaging in anticompetitive practices in the debit-card market, a probe that casts a cloud over a core part of its business.
The department's antitrust division has been gathering information and asking whether Visa, the largest U.S. card network, has limited merchants' ability to route debit-card transactions over card networks that are often less expensive, according to people familiar with the matter.