atm's go live

Suncorp, Bendigo's ATM network goes live
19/07/2010 5:22:01 PM
Suncorp Metway Ltd and Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Ltd have flicked the 'on' switch for their enlarged, combined automatic teller machine (ATM) network.

The two regional banks said on Monday their 2.4 million customers now had access to a combined ATM network comprising 2,000 machines across Australia, and without incurring a direct fee.

A partnership between the banks to set up the combined network was announced last December.

The network went live on Monday, more than three months later than originally planned.

It has 400 more ATMs than previously announced.

Suncorp's chief executive of its banking arm, David Foster, repeated his comments from a December statement, saying the networks were geographically complementary.

He said Bendigo's network was weighted towards Victoria and regional centres while Suncorp was strong in Queensland, Sydney and other capital cities.

All major banking groups enlarged their ATM networks after the direct fee regime was introduced in March last year by the Reserve Bank of Australia.

Commonwealth Bank (CBA) and BankWest's combined network is the largest in Australia with about 4,000 ATMs, while Westpac, St George Bank and BankSA's combined network has 2,800 ATMs.

ANZ Banking Group has 2,500 ATMs, and Cuscal and National Australia Bank's combined network has 3,100 ATMs.