MILWAUKEE _ Fiserv Inc. said Thursday it plans to buy CheckFree Corp. for $4.4 billion in cash, a deal analysts said will make Fiserv a top provider of electronic bill payment technology and give it additional opportunities to sell its automated banking services.

By Peralte C. Paul, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Jan. 3--In little more than a year, CheckFree Corp. has spent nearly $200 million on companies the Norcross-based financial services technology firm saw as strategic fits with its long-term growth plans.

By Peralte C. Paul, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Jan. 4--Electronic bill-pay company CheckFree Corp. said Tuesday it paid $100 million in cash to acquire a Connecticut-based firm that allows billers to accept payments via telephone.