Q3 results reported by MasterCard

[img_assist|nid=7097|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=62]MasterCard Incorporated released its third quarter report. Net income in the third quarter 2008 was $322 million, or $2.47 per diluted share, excluding a special item, and a net loss of $194 million, or $1.49 per diluted share, including the special item -- a $515.5 million net after-tax charge related to an antitrust litigation settlement between MasterCard and Discover Financial Services.

Net revenue accounted for $1.3 billion, a 23.6% increase over the same period last year. Currency fluctuations (driven by movement of the euro and the Brazilian real relative to the U.S. dollar) contributed 3.5 percentage points of the increase in net revenue for the quarter.

As of September 30, 2008 970 million MasterCard cards were issued by the company’s financial-institution customers. The figure reflects a 10.3% increase against the number of cards issued at September 30, 2007.

Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2008 was $1.0 billion, or $7.59 per diluted share, excluding the impact of special items, and a net loss of $493 million, or $3.79 per diluted share, including special items.

Net revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2008, was $3.8 billion, a 25.8% increase above the same period last year.