Sony breach could cost card lenders $300 million | Reuters

Each customer request to replace a credit card would cost lenders about $3 to $5 per card, several analysts told Reuters on Wednesday and Thursday. Those costs would include the new piece of plastic itself, postage, and various customer service costs.

Hackers earlier in April broke into Sony’s PlayStation Network, stealing names, addresses and possibly credit card details from 77 million users. Sony shut down the network on April 19 but waited about a week to disclose that the system had been hacked and users’ data could have been stolen.

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Microsoft Buys Skype for $8.5 Billion. Why, Exactly? | Wired.com

Last year, Skype had revenue of $860 million on which it posted an operating profit of $264 million. However, it overall made a small loss, of $7 million, and had long-term debt of $686 million. It was the second time Skype has been bought out; after being started in 2003, it was purchasd by eBay in 2005 for $3.1 billion. eBay then sold the majority of its stake in 2009 to a private investment group for $1.2 billion less than it paid.

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