Mastercard Faces DOJ Antitrust Probe Over Debit Practices (1)

Mastercard Inc. said the US Department of Justice is investigating whether the company has acted in an anticompetitive manner in its debit-card business, a signal that the agency has widened a probe that previously centered on rival Visa Inc.

Mastercard said it received a civil investigative demand from the department last month seeking documents regarding a potential violation of certain sections of the Sherman Act, a sweeping law meant to protect competition. The company is cooperating with the probe, which focuses on the firm’s US debit program and competition with other networks and technologies, according to a quarterly regulatory ...