Avery ATMs

As the Clash once asked in their legendary song: Should I Stay or Should I go?  Banks, Credit Unions, Convenience Store owners, grocery store owners and other business owners must ask themselves in regard to ATM ownership. 

With the expansion of entitlement programs over the past several years, ATM transaction volume for appears to be healthy.  Despite increases in credit and debit card transaction volume and new and improved means of payment in an environment of significant technological innovation, people continue to use the old trustworthy ATM.  In fact, it has been estimated that cash, as a means of payment, will remain for at least another two hundred years.

Visa and Mastercard are at it again.  Evidently, reduction of interchange revenue to ATM operators does not commit their total focus.  These market power exercisers apparently have enough eyeballs to view additional hardships to impose on banks, IADs and other ATMs owners.   So what is in their binocular view that they covet now?  Europay Mastercard and Visa otherwise known throughout the industry as EMV.  EMV for those who are not aware is the card technology that allows card reading via a computer chip scan.  If ATM operators fail to adopt this technology on all their ATMs by the network imposed deadlines, then any fraud committed during a transaction will be compensated by the operator rather than the card issuer or network.  Sounds reasonable until you view it as the great Justice Brandeis once stated under disinfecting impact of sunlight.

As an IAD/ISO owner the new ADA regulations in regards to ATMs is not that straight forward. It is important to carefully review the information put out by the DOJ. I have attached link for review. I carefully read the information from our distributor of ATMs and thought we had a good solid plan in place for upgrading and replacing. 

As long as consumers continue to value cash transactions, ATMs will be an important component of financial instutions efforts to expand profitability and attract and retain cardholders. ATMs serve as an extension of your brand and provide valuable advertising and awareness opportunities in quality high traffic locations.  

Input Devices on an ATM. The 2010 version of the ADA requires that the keys on an ATM keypad be tactilely discernible. What does this mean? Well the ADA itself spells it out but the language is somewhat confusing. Firstly, if the input keys for the ATM are not touch screen, then the keys must be raised above the surrounding surface areas. With this type of keypad (which is the most common), the number 5 key must be tactilely distinct from the other keys. This requires that the number 5 key have at least a raised dot in the center of the key to distinguish it from the surrounding keys. All function keys on the ATM need to contrast from the surface of the ATM by color. In other words, if the keys are a light color the ATM must be a dark color and vice versa. Moreover, the function key surfaces shall have tactile symbols. These symbols are as follows:

The latest version of the Americans with Disability Act mandates that all ATMs be speech enabled for the visually impaired. Generally, in order for the ATM to be compliant under this requirement, it must have a plug in jack for a headset (i.e. ear bugs) and the ATM must vocally provide operating instructions, orientation, transaction prompts, user input verification, error messages, and all displayed information with volume control. 

In regard to ATMs, the new 2010 ADA requirements require the all ATMs “provide the opportunity for the same degree of privacy of input and out available to all individuals.” If you think like me, the first question that pops into your head is “what does that mean?” Not sure but the best way to deal with this requirement is to be sure that the speech output capabilities of the ATM, when activated, cause the screen to turn blank. This feature will protect you under the privacy requirements set forth in the ADA.

The Americans with Disabilities Act as amended in 2010 makes many changes to the law as it pertains to Automated Teller Machines (ATMs). In regard to floor space, the latest version of ADA requirements can be confusing. To be safe, an ATM operator should insure that at least two sides of the ATM have unobstructed flat floor space at least 48 inches by 30 inches.

With the deadline for full ADA compliance for ATM operators looming, financial institutions are now faced with difficult decisions. Essentially, banks are left with two options. Spend valuable capital on replacing or upgrading ATMs that are not compliant or outsourcing their ATM needs to third parties.