DAYTON, Ohio – If NCR Corporation thus far has failed to move its ATMs into the service of more mid-tier financial institutions, it has been because the firm has not focused sufficiently closely on credit unions and community banks. That's the take Tom Conroy, NCR vice president for the firm's new Community Bank sales group has on the firm's slow entrance to date into credit unions. "We have so many strengths to offer both community banks and credit unions," Conroy said. "We have a tremendous amount of experience in the placement and servicing of ATMs and we are the worldwide leader in the market," he noted. So why has NCR suddenly awakened to this middle-tier market? Both community banks and credit unions have been recognized as customers for both new ATM purchases and for replacement machines. Aging ATMs will have to be replaced over the next three to five years to comply with new data security technology as well as the Americans With Disabilities Act. NCR's machines will meet both needs, Conroy said. Conroy pointed out that while the firm might have been absent from the middle tier market, it has aggressively pursued deals with ATM deployers who are not financial institutions, such as 7-Eleven chain stores, which have allowed it to tailor machines to fit a wide range of technological needs and transaction levels. NCR reported that it has over 1,000 ATMs in 7-Eleven stores, primarily in Texas and Florida, and that it plans to move more over the next year, branching out into other states. "We plan to move some seasoned people from that effort into our community banking team," he said, "People who will be able to help financial institutions understand what their members or customers want from their ATMs and what type of ATM would best suit a given location." NCR would not say where it stood exactly in relation to Diebold, its nearest competitor, but Conroy asserted that the two companies are the first and second in the U.S. overall. [email protected]