Bank of America Bilingual Talking ATM Press Release

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This document is a press release about Bank of America’s Talking ATMs in Florida. The new ATMs speak in Spanish. It was one of several press releases issued as part of the bank’s agreements with the blind community. Lainey and co-counsel Linda Dardarian used Structured Negotiations to negotiate these agreements. No lawsuit was filed. [Back to Press Release]

This release was one of several issued as part of the implementation of the first Bank of America Settlement Agreement and the subsequent national agreement negotiated by Lainey and co-counsel Linda Dardarian using Structured Negotiations.

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Bank of America Installs More Than 300 Bilingual Talking ATMs in Florida

Bank of America Audio Jack Charlotte, N.C. (October 29, 2001) — Reaffirming its commitment to the visually impaired community through accessible banking, Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) has installed more than 300 bilingual Talking ATMs in Florida. This effort is part of the company’s previously announced plan to install more than 7,000 Talking ATMs coast-to-coast by the end of 2005.

“Bank of America is committed to making banking accessible to all of its customers,” said Annette Kellermann, Accessible Banking Program Manager for Bank of America. “The rollout of these bilingual ATMs not only makes it easier for customers who are blind or visually impaired to perform financial transactions but also expands the banking capabilities of our Spanish-speaking customers.”

Bank of America Talking ATMs are convenient and easy to use. In addition to providing customers the transacting capabilities they are used to, Talking ATMs deliver private, spoken instructions through a headset plugged into an audio jack and deliver every function available at non-talking ATMs. Customers can withdraw cash, deposit money, make payments and perform other self-service ATM transactions independently, 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. Talking ATMs are also an alternative for customers who do not wish to use touch screen technology, as all commands are entered using a keypad similar to a touch-tone phone.

We praise Bank of America’s commitment to accessible financial services and the leadership role it has taken in this area. Importantly, the addition of Spanish to Talking ATMs expands the banking capabilities of the Hispanic members of the blind community and others who have difficulty reading the ATM screen.
— Charles Crawford, executive director of the American Council for the Blind

Bank of America currently has more than 1,100 talking ATMs in Florida and California. By the end of 2002, the company will increase that number to more than 3,100 talking ATMs nationwide. Next year, the company plans to rollout bilingual Talking ATMs in markets across the franchise.

The bilingual machines are also helping the company serve its Hispanic customers more effectively. Providing increased financial services to Hispanic consumers is a strategic business priority for the bank, which recognizes that this segment of the U.S. population has long been underserved by the financial services industry. This includes the introduction of SafeSend, a safe, international ATM remittance product, Total Security Protection, the bank’s new standard in card protection that gives customers greater defense against theft, loss, or unauthorized (including online) use, as well as the launch of its Spanish Web site at http://www.bankofamerica.com/espanol.

In addition to bilingual voice capabilities, the new Florida ATMs are Advanced Technology, which enables Bank of America to provide more services to all of its customers using the ATM. Advanced Technology ATMs enable customers to set customized preferences, find other ATM locations and will soon have the ability to perform services like the reordering of checks.

About Bank of America

One of the world’s leading financial services companies, Bank of America is committed to making banking work for customers and clients like it never has before. Through innovative technologies and the ingenuity of its people, Bank of America provides individuals, small businesses and commercial, corporate and institutional clients across the United States and around the world new and better ways to manage their financial lives. The company enables customers to do their banking and investing whenever, wherever and however they choose through the nation’s largest financial services network, including approximately 4,400 domestic offices and 13,000 ATMs, as well as 30 international offices serving clients in more than 150 countries, and an Internet Web site that provides online banking access to 4 million active users, more than any other bank. Bank of America stock (ticker: BAC) is listed on the New York, Pacific and London stock exchanges. The company’s Web site is http://www.bankofamerica.com. News, speeches and other corporate information may be found at http://www.bankofamerica.com/newsroom.

About the American Council for the Blind

The American Council of the Blind (ACB) is a national membership organization of people who are blind and visually impaired. ACB has 51 state and regional affiliates and 20 national special interest and professional affiliates across the United States. ACB advocates for the well being of blind persons in areas including accessible ATMs, pedestrian safety, quality work skills training, accessible computer environments and more. ACB can be reached at http://www.ACB.org. The Florida affiliate of ACB has chapters throughout the state and can be accessed at http://www.fcb.org.