U.S. urges court to overturn AmEx antitrust decision

The U.S. government on Thursday asked a federal appeals court to reconsider a recent antitrust decision allowing American Express Co to stop merchants from encouraging customers to use rival cards that charge lower fees. In its Sept. 26 decision, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York reversed a lower court ruling that had struck down AmEx's "anti-steering" rules. At issue are the more than $50 billion of fees that merchants pay annually to process transactions.