Press
5 Good Reasons to Support the U.S. ATM Industry Defense Fund
SIOUX FALLS, SD (June 12, 2013) The ATM Industry Association (ATMIA) announced today it has set out five urgent reasons to support the ATM Industry U.S. Defense Fund: (1) U.S. EMV migration, (2) further reductions in interchange, (3) serial plaintiffs looking to capitalize on the recent Americans with Disability Act (ADA) regulations, (4) stopping patent trolls, and (5) abolishing state laws still requiring dual ATM fee notifications.
“And, these five issues are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the critical industry matters ATMIA is tackling, thanks to contributions to the U.S. Defense Fund,” says David Tente, ATMIA U.S. Executive Director. “There’s simply no time left to waste.”
Managed by ATMIA, the U.S. Defense Fund is used to cover the costs of monitoring proposed legislation and regulations on the state and federal level which could adversely affect the ATM industry.
“With all the issues facing the ATM industry, and pressure on Congress and state legislatures to increase revenue; supporting the U.S. Defense Fund is vital to the future of our industry,” says Jeff Matthews, eGlobal CEO and ATMIA Independent ATM Deployer (IAD) Committee Co-Chair.
Recent ATMIA Accomplishments
With the support of the ATM industry during 2012, the Electronic Funds Transfer Association (EFTA) along with ATMIA successfully worked with Congress to eliminate the federal ATM fee sticker requirement, and worked to protect ATM operators’ interests by filing an amicus brief in the Visa / MasterCard merchant class-action surcharge lawsuit and the development of a generic brief to support ATM operators that continue to fight fee sticker cases in the appeals court.
“Eliminating the federal dual ATM notification requirement was a huge success for the ATM industry,” continues Tente. “This is a terrific example of how we use the funds contributed by members to benefit the industry as a whole.”
Protecting the ATM Industry in 2013 & Beyond
“Most people don’t realize how much work goes on behind the scenes on a daily basis to protect the interests of the ATM industry,” says Tente. “Through our relationship with EFTA, ATMIA is tracking legislation and regulations on the state and federal level, monitoring the activities of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), assisting members caught up in ADA lawsuits, representing ATM owners on the U.S. EMV Migration Forum, working to abolish the remaining state laws that are not in line with federal law and still require dual ATM fee notifications, and continues to work against efforts to further reduce ATM surcharge — just to name a few.”
According to Tente, already this year ATMIA has re-filed an amicus brief to support ATM deployer interests in the Visa / MasterCard merchant surcharge lawsuit and opposed the April MasterCard Maestro EMV liability shift.
ATMIA continues to press for modification of the Maestro liability shift, as well as changes in network on card acceptance and routing priorities. ATMIA is also in the process of determining what action can be taken in response to “patent trolls.”
Why You Should Contribute
“Only by working together to fight legislation and regulations that adversely affect our industry will we continue to have a healthy industry,” comments Jeremy Inman, Senior Vice President with Cardtronics and ATMIA IAD Committee Co-Chairman. “Supporting ATMIA’s efforts by contributing to the Defense Fund is critical.”
“If your company operates ATMs or is any way affiliated with the ATM value chain in the United States you are benefiting from the vital legal efforts of the ATMIA,” says Susan Matt, CEO and Founder of ThoughtKey, Inc. and co-chairman of the ATMIA U.S. Board of Directors. “Support of the ATMIA U.S. Defense Fund by companies such as yours enables the ATMIA to continue representing critical legal issues on your behalf.”
Can you afford to not support the ATM Industry U.S. Defense Fund?
To contribute to the U.S. Defense Fund, contact Sharon Lane, ATMIA Global Director, Finance and Member Services, at (605) 271-7371 or make your pledge to the ATM Industry U.S. Defense Fund online.
ABOUT ATMIA
The ATM Industry Association is a global non-profit trade association with over 3,700 members in 60 countries. The mission of ATMIA is to promote ATM convenience, growth and usage worldwide, to protect the ATM industry’s assets, interests, good name and public trust; and to provide education, best practices, political voice and networking opportunities for member organizations. Visit www.atmia.com to learn more about the Association.