in 2004, which added the STAR Network and PIN-based debit acceptance at more than 1.9 million ATM and retail locations. Additional acquisitions and strategic relationships included GovOne, eONEGlobal, Paymap, Inc., and Taxware. Nevertheless, First Data eventually divested, closed down or absorbed these businesses. On January 26, 2006, First Data announced its intention to spin off Western Union into an independent publicly traded company through a tax-free spin-off of 100% of Western Union to First Data shareholders. The spin off occurred as planned on September 29, 2006. On April 2, 2007, it was announced that Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR) had entered an agreement to acquire First Data in one of the largest leveraged buy-outs in history, and on October 1, 2007, KKR officially took over the First Data Corporation. Ric Duques retired, and Michael Capellas, previously the CEO of MCI Inc., the president of Hewlett-Packard Company, and also the chairman/CEO of the Compaq Computer Corporation was appointed CEO. As a privately owned company, First Data's stock was taken off the New York Stock Exchange on September 24, 2007. However, the company's LBO was financed with $24 billion in debt, and it remains heavily leveraged. In June 2014, First Data raised a historic $3.5 billion private placement. $1.2 billion of the placement came from KKR; however the majority, $2.3 billion, was from hedge funds, mutual funds and institutions. With this action the company reduced total debt by $3.3 billion, improving net leverage by 1.3 turns and significantly reducing annual cash interest payments. The company continues to maintain investor relations pages on its web site and to publish quarterly financial results. Within two months of the KKR acquisition, the company laid off 1,700 employees across North America, Europe and Australia, about 6% of its workforce. First Data provided Go-Tag (contactless and mobile payment technology) stickers to delegates and media representatives at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, who used them to buy food and beverages. These stickers possessed NFC chips which were read by First Data scanners, which through its back-end system deducted the purchase sum from the Go-Tag ID's balance. First Data provided the trusted service manager that provisioned accounts to the new mobile Google Wallet system. First Data entered the Ireland market in a joint venture with Allied Irish Banks PLC named AIB Merchant Services on January 18, 2008. First Data also acquired ICICI Bank's merchant services business in 2009