ATM Networks Eye Relief Bid

TALLAHASSEE - (09/13/05) -- Credit Union 24, The CO-OP Networkand other credit union-owned electronic funds transfer networks aretrying to put together a disaster relief initiative that wouldallow victims of Hurricane Katrina to gain surcharge-free access totheir funds and make surcharge-free deposits. The proposal wouldamount to temporarily reconstituting the old MemberAccess networkof credit union-owned networks for as long as 90 days to displacedvictims in the three Gulf Coast States, according to Jim Park,president of Credit Union 24. Under an early draft of the plan, theelimination of surcharges would aid not only victims in theaffected areas, but those hundreds of thousands of refugees whohave been relocated to other areas. "We're pushing every button wecan to assist the folks in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama,"Park told The Credit Union Journal. "We're trying to work out themechanics of surcharge-free ATMs." Last week Credit Union 24 hasprovide a few mobile ATMs to affected credit unions.