CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- 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.
Charles Crawford, executive director of the American Council for the Blind
said, "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."
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.
SOURCE Bank of America Corporation
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Related links:
http://www.bankofamerica.com
Related links:
http://www.bankofamerica.com/espanol
CONTACT:
Lisa Gagnon of Bank of America,
+1-704-388-3192, or lisa.gagnon@bankofamerica.com
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