
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, October 30, 1993                   TAG: 9310300100
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MAG POFF STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

ATMS GIVE GRIEF BANK PLAGUED BY GLITCHES

First Union National Bank personnel are working through the weekend in an attempt to solve dual problems with the company's automated teller machines and cards that give customers access to them.

Ben Jenkins, president of First Union National Bank of Virginia, said Friday the problems stem from the conversion of former Dominion Bank's system to First Union's. First Union acquired Dominion in March and earlier this month merged the two banks' computers and other systems.

Jenkins said ATM machines in Virginia, Maryland and Washington are in operation about 95 percent of the time.

But he termed that a "disappointment" compared to Dominion's record of 97.4 percent and First Union's usual record of 98.5 percent performance.

The ATMs have failed to work randomly, not all at the same time.

Another problem relates to the 225,000 ATM access cards that First Union mailed to former Dominion customers in Virginia, Maryland and Washington.

Jenkins said slightly less than 10,000 of the cards never were delivered. A high percentage of those involved Virginia Tech students, many of whom had incorrect addresses. Some of those were returned to the bank and mailed again to correct addresses. Others were hand-delivered from bank branches.

But in 2,700 cases - more than 1 percent of the original mailing - the bank had to remake the cards, Jenkins reported. Because of a glitch, none of them worked in the ATMs. First Union will remake the 2,700 cards this weekend and mail them Sunday.

Meanwhile, branch employees have been trying to reach as many of those customers as possible, Jenkins said. In cases where the lack of a card caused a significant problem, he said, the bank is providing "minor monetary compensation."

by CNB