Wells Fargo Makes ATM Deposits Faster and Easier

    SAN FRANCISCO, May 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Rather than stuff their
 cash and checks into ATM deposit envelopes, Wells Fargo customers in
 Northern California will be among the first in the country to use a new
 service that eliminates deposit envelopes and converts paper checks into
 digital images. Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:   WFC) announced today its plan
 to convert all of its 400 ATMs in Contra Costa, Alameda and Santa Clara
 Counties to Envelope-Free WebATM(R) machines by the end of 2006.
     "We've been piloting Envelope-Free ATMs since 2002 and the years
 testing the technology has given us a lot of important insight," said
 Jonathan Velline, head of Wells Fargo's ATM Banking division. "Customers
 tell us the new ATMs are easy to use and they especially like seeing the
 check image on the screen and on the receipt. We also earned kudos from our
 consumer and small business customers for accepting stacks of bills and
 check deposits at one time, where as other banks require consumers to feed
 checks in the machine individually -- similar to what you see at vending
 machines -- which can be too slow and cumbersome."
     Envelope-Free ATMs offer customers some important benefits:
 
     -- Faster and easier ATM deposits -- customers can deposit stacks of bills
        (up to 30 bills in different denominations) and checks (up to 10)
        directly into the machine at one time.
     -- Assurance that checks or cash deposits have been received -- customers
        can see on-screen check images and a count of each denomination for
        cash deposits.
     -- Proof-positive receipts -- customers receive a check image of deposited
        checks on their receipt and an itemized listing of deposited bills.
     -- Instant credit for cash deposits -- funds are immediately credited to
        the customer's account, just as if they made a cash deposit at the
        teller window.
     -- Same day credit for check deposits -- the deposit cut-off time has been
        extended from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. (weekdays), giving customers
        same-day credit for deposits even after the banking store has closed.
     -- ATM does the math for you -- customers insert cash and a listing of
        every deposited bill is provided on-screen.  Customers insert checks
        and the character recognition software reads and posts an image of the
        check and the amount on the screen.
     -- Saves trees -- by making envelope-free deposits, Wells Fargo customers
        are helping to reduce unnecessary waste -- potentially saving more than
        a thousand trees per year and reducing air pollutants by more than a
        quarter million tons of CO(2) equivalents.
     "Wells Fargo's first ATM's debuted in 1976 and since that time we have
 consistently invested in developing new ways for our ATMs to deliver the
 best level of service to our customers," continued Velline. "We were the
 first to design and convert our entire ATM network to web-enabled machines,
 giving customers a more convenient and interactive ATM experience. We were
 also the first to pilot envelope-free ATMs that accept both cash and checks
 together."
     Wells Fargo has been piloting Envelope-Free ATMs since 2002. On October
 28, 2004, the same day Check 21 became federal law; Wells Fargo was the
 first financial institution in the U.S. to transmit a check deposited at an
 ATM in Hayward, California. Check 21, short for Check Clearing for the 21st
 Century Act, allows banks to use "substitute checks," or a printed copy of
 the digital image of the original check. The company currently has 60
 Envelope-Free ATMs in Northern California.
     WebATM Machines
     All of Wells Fargo's 6,500+ ATMs are web-enabled, which means they are
 faster, easier to use, and can perform more functions than traditional
 ATMs. They feature six language screen options; customizable fast-cash
 amounts and MyATM(R) receipt preferences; access up to 22 financial
 accounts; the highest level of security; and colorful, large font
 touch-screens that make it easier to navigate from screen to screen. In
 addition, all of Wells Fargo's ATM locations offer voice instructions for
 the visually impaired in both English and Spanish. The Windows-based
 software makes it easier for Wells Fargo to make systems improvements --
 such as adding new languages or the ability to accept envelope-free
 deposits.
     Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified financial services company with
 $492 billion in assets, providing banking, insurance, investments, mortgage
 and consumer finance to more than 23 million customers from more than 6,200
 stores and the internet (wellsfargo.com) across North America and elsewhere
 internationally. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. is the only bank in the United
 States to receive the highest possible credit rating, "Aaa," from Moody's
 Investors Service.
 
 

SOURCE Wells Fargo & Company