STRATEGIC PARTNERS
December 16, 2001
BOSTON -- As part of a $47.1 million, 18-month reconfiguration planned for its Massachusetts branch network, FleetBoston Financial will deploy 23 new full-service ATMs with enhanced capabilities at off-premise locations.
Twenty-eight new branches and facility upgrades at 27 existing Fleet branches are also part of the plan.
According to a news release, many of the 28 new branch and 23 new remote ATM sites are currently in lease and purchase negotiations. Site confirmations will be released as real estate negotiations are concluded.
The move comes three months after rival Citizens Bank won a contract to take 99 Stop & Shop bank branches away from Fleet.
Following completion of the network reconfiguration, Fleet will operate 290 branches and 1,350 ATMs statewide, making it the largest branch and ATM network in Massachusetts. Fleet has nearly 1,700 branches and more than 3,800 ATMs in the Northeast.
Fleet has been tweaking its ATM program this year, adding new features that include receipts with expanded account information, ATMs with voice guidance capabilities for the visually impaired and a preset language feature that allows ATM users to permanently select from up to 6 languages for future transactions
In 2000, Fleet customers conducted 200 million ATM transactions.
