Which U.S. bank installed the first automated teller machine in 1969?

Chemical Bank installed the first automated teller machine in the United States in 1969.

The machine began operating on September 2, 1969, at Chemical’s branch in Rockville Centre, New York. Chemical promoted the debut with the promise that its bank would “never close again,” highlighting the ATM’s ability to provide cash outside normal banking hours.

The machine was developed by Docutel, a company associated with inventor Donald Wetzel. It was initially called a Docuteller and was much more limited than modern ATMs: users inserted specially coded cards and withdrew a fixed amount of cash. It did not offer today’s broad menu of transfers, balances, deposits and bill payments.

A common mix-up is confusing the first U.S. ATM with the first ATM anywhere. Barclays installed an early cash machine in London in 1967, while other experimental machines appeared in Europe and Japan around the same period. Chemical’s claim specifically concerns the first ATM installed in the United States.