It is estimated that here are approximately 420,000 ATMs in the U.S., and for the most part they all look the same—a computer built into the wall of a financial institution or housed in a box for drive-thru convenience.
Here and there across the nation, some credit unions and banks have taken a more innovative approach to showcase their brand and listed are five fun ATM's that will catch your attention.
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- Ohio has the largest population of Amish in the United States, so in 2000, LorMet Community Federal Credit Union, with $145 million in assets located in historic Wellington decided to custom build a Amish (fake) horse and buggy with an ATM inside the buggy. “The village is very small with a good size Amish population so we felt we wanted to make the ATM fit in with the village,” said Libby Brattoli, a loan officer for LorMet. “It's turned into quite the icon.”
- Banks are not usually associated with the word 'fun,' but Greenfield Savings Bank in Greenfield, MA has an actual Money Tree complete with critters and gnarled roots housing their ATM machine. The fanciful design located off the Mohawk Trail which was a Native American trade route which connected Atlantic tribes with tribes in Upstate New York. The GSB Money Tree is dotted with playful animals and surrounded by a huge, overhanging mushroom which shelters cars beneath it.
- In Britain, many of the iconic red phone boxeS have been converted into ATM machines, and in the Greenpoint area of Brooklyn, NY, this quirky idea seems to fit right in with the eclectic neighborhood vibe of cafes, bars and nightclubs.
- Mid-Illini Credit Union in Bloomington, IL, uses a zebra for its mascot so it makes sense that their ATM's are wrapped in snazzy black and white zebra stripes. “We use the zebra as our mascot because of the animal's association with loyalty and protection, two philosophies that we embrace,” the $47 million credit union states on their website. “Zebras run together in herds to offer one another protection from predators. For example, a hunting lion cannot pick one zebra out of the herd, because the zebra stripes confuse the lion and he cannot tell the zebras apart clearly enough to choose just one to attack. This behavior aligns with the credit union philosophy of “people helping people.”
- The ATM machine at the Golden Nugget hotel in Las Vegas doesn't dispense greenbacks, but it does spit out gold.
- The GOLD to go ATM vending machine updates prices every 10 minutes based on current gold spot prices. Along with gold bars of various weights ranging between one gram and one ounce, the vending machine also sells traditional gold coins.
Since the first automated, electronic banking machine was introduced by Donald Wetzel, a former pro baseball player ATM machines have been providing convenience to financial institution customers worldwide.
“Our customers think our ATM is kind of cool,” Brattoli said. “I think it makes you really stand out from all the others when you have something so different.”
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