HOUSTON - Pulse EFT Association, one of the largest electronic funds transfer networks in the country, said it will pick up about 175 community bank members through an alliance with Computer Services Inc. of Paducah, Ky.
Computer Services, known as CSI, provides data processing and automated-teller-machine-driving services to nearly 600 banks in 20 states.
The companies said the one-year deal, expected to take effect early this year, will not only bring new banks to the Pulse network but also help reduce switching fees for the CSI member banks. The CSI customer banks that will join Pulse have about 675 ATMs and are in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, Missouri, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Michigan.
CSI drives about 800 ATMs, which are deployed throughout the Midwest, said Steven A. Powless, its president and chief executive officer. All remaining CSI customer banks will have the opportunity to join the Pulse network on a case-by-case basis. "This strategic alliance expands the opportunities for our bank customers to use their ATM cards throughout the country," Mr. Powless said.
The Pulse network serves more than 2,000 financial institutions. It links more than 47,000 ATMs and 242,000 merchant sites throughout the United States.
