September 19, 2011
Retail ATM owner Cardtronics announced an ATM managed services agreement with Lakewood, Colo.-based FirstBank covering the bank's ATM network located in King Soopers grocery stores, part of the The Kroger Co. grocery chain.
Cardtronics said that as a part of the agreement, the company has implemented all hardware upgrades necessary to bring the ATMs into compliance with revised "Americans with Disabilities Act" (ADA) regulations set to take effect next year.
New ADA mandates for ATMs include guidelines regarding accessibility to the blind and visually impaired.
"The Americans with Disabilities Act revisions represent a significant event for financial institutions across the United States," said FirstBank Data Corp. EVP Jeff Kaufman in the announcement.
Kaufman said that some financial institutions may be considering shrinking their ATM network to avoid the costs of ADA compliance, the bank's relationship with Cardtronics gives it the ability to continue offering customers conveniently located ATMs and cash access.
The FirstBank-Cardtronics agreement covers 89 ATMs, all located in King Soopers grocery stores scattered across Colorado, Cardtronics said.