Opening new markets with maturing products

Regional networks of automated teller machines (ATM) shared by several banks have reached significant scale in Florida, New England, and other regions. California's five major banks have resisted joining such networks, although some 240 smaller banks and S & L's formed a West Coast network, the 'Star System', in June 1984. Shared ATMs offer savings to banks at a time when capital budgets are tight and the existing ATM base underutilized and apparently saturated. With bank installations declining, ATM manufacturers expect grocery and other retail stores to be their major growth areas. Point of sale (POS) debit-card systems will virtually require shared networks, as well as very high reliability, to achieve retailer support; they will also need to incorporate technology allowing customers to get account information from the POS terminal.