First ATM Installed: Banking Revolution Begins
Chemical Bank installed the first automated teller machine in the United States at its branch in Rockville Centre, New York, on September 2, 1969. The machine dispensed only cash and required a special coded card. Don Wetzel, who helped develop the machine, said he got the idea while standing in line at a bank. Early ATMs were crude: they couldn't check account balances in real time and could only dispense fixed amounts. Banks resisted the technology because they feared it would eliminate the personal relationships that drove customer loyalty. Instead, ATMs expanded banking hours to 24/7, allowing customers to access cash at any time, and fundamentally changed the relationship between people and their money.
September 2, 1969
57 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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