News

Half of ATMs don't meet new ADA rules

March 19, 2012

With the March 15 deadline now past, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Sun Sentinel is reporting that roughly half of all ATMs in the U.S. do not comply with new ADA rules for ATMs. According to the article, new rules requiring voice technology and Braille for vision-impaired users are not being met.

One Fort Lauderdale bank, BankAtlantic, told the Sun Sentinel that it could not upgrade approximately 175 off-site ATMs, mostly cash machines on cruise ships. The bank's COO Lloyd DeVaux said the bank opted out of ADA updgrades for those machines claiming compliance would have represented an undue hardship.

The article said costs to upgrade ATMs were substantial for Florida-area FIs. BankUnited, South Florida's largest bank, reported that it spent $1.7 million to upgrade 56 machines and replace 22 others. Tropical Financial Credit Union of Miramar said it spent about $30,000 on its 18 machines.

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