The Electronic Funds Transfer Association has established a committee of banking and technology executives to discuss how automated teller machine networks can recover from disasters.
The issue was brought to the fore by EDS Corp.'s experience during a snowstorm that battered the East Coast this winter. That storm destroyed the data center of the General Motors Corp. subsidiary and knocked out some 5,000 teller machines for about a week.
EDS avoided being crippled by the disaster only because other networks offered temporary transaction-processing services.
Promoting Cooperation
The association, based in Herndon, Va.. hopes to perpetuate such cooperation.
The committee will work toward establishing standard procedures for sending and receiving data files between networks.
It will also address what consumers expect from their ATM networks in the event of a disaster.
The members will be from Citicorp, First Chicago Corp., Chemical Banking Corp.. the NYCE network, the MAC network, the Cash Station network, the Cirrus network. Visa U.S.A., Deluxe Data Systems Inc.. Benton International, and Transaction Communication Inc.
