NCR APTRA Interactive Teller will give Lake State CU tellers located in Moose Lake, Minn., remote control of ATMs in the new branch in Duluth.

The new Duluth branch, located at 11 East Superior St., will be completely self- and assisted-service through three NCR APTRA Interactive Teller ATMs and additional (non-video teller) NCR SelfServ ATMs. According to Tim Smith, president and CEO of Lake State Credit Union, the Technology Village office in Duluth will not only serve current and new members with Interactive Teller, but it also will bring Commercial, Mortgage and Consumer services to that area. Lake State is a $184 million institution and the new Duluth office opening mid-August of this year will be its sixth full service office.

APTRA Interactive Teller is the only ATM-based technology that not only lets people talk to a live remote teller, but also gives the teller remote control over the machine to conduct transactions. APTRA Interactive Teller can conduct approximately 95 percent of typical teller transactions. These transactions include activities that can't be done by a normal ATM, such as overriding normal cash dispensing transaction limits, scanning checks to give immediate value, and validating customers by scanning their ID and recording their digital signature.

"We have been interested in expanding our membership base into Duluth for several years, but the cost of building a full-function branch so far from our core membership base was prohibitive," said Laly Larson, senior vice president and CIO, Lake State CU. "NCR APTRA Interactive Teller gives us a cost efficient means for entering a new market. As our membership base in Duluth grows, we will examine more traditional branches. In the meantime, NCR's interactive video technology will let us deliver a personal member experience remotely."

The efficiency and security created through the centralization of tellers enables financial institutions to transform their branch locations into more effective service and sales environments. APTRA Interactive Teller lets financial institutions offer access to teller services during non-traditional banking hours, build new small-footprint branches, and provide full teller services in areas not served by branches, all while taking advantage of the advanced features of NCR ATMs such as intelligent deposit, bill pay and new account and loan initiation.

"NCR APTRA Interactive Teller is helping financial institutions to change the scale and character of their branch networks," said Brian Bailey, vice president and general manager, NCR Branch Transformation. "Through our remote transactional video, financial institutions can deliver full branch teller service capability wherever their customers and members live and work."

Lake State CU worked hand-in-hand with NCR and NCR solutions partner CASE. CASE is an Anoka, Minn.-based financial services solutions provider, and a NCR solutions partner since 1996.