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US Census Bureau profiles the drive-up teller

Nov. 26 isn't just Thanksgiving, it's also the anniversary of America's first drive-up teller window, a service that's been around for longer than you might think.

November 23, 2015

As a public service, the U.S. Census Bureau publishes a daily feature "Profile America." Following is the bureau's Nov. 23 entry:

It used to be that going to the bank was somewhat of a chore — with inconvenient hours and locations, and waiting in line for a teller. Now, many of us rarely see the inside of a bank anymore.

We take care of our financial business at an ATM, by going online, or at our bank's drive-through windows. The first such drive-up facility opened on this date in 1946 at the Exchange National Bank in Chicago, which offered its motoring customers 10 teller windows with sliding drawers.

Now, drive-up tellers are available nationwide, and Americans have a choice of more than 96,000 commercial banking locations to handle their money. ATMs notwithstanding, more than 1.6 million employees work in commercial banks, which hold more than $15.5 trillion in assets.

Sources: Kane's Famous First Facts