ATMs 'to greet customers by name'

Within a year, ATMs will greet users by name

Cash machines that greet customers by name and remind them of a partner's birthday are coming to the UK.

Manufacturer NCR said personalised cash machines have proved successful in North America and Asia.

Some UK banks already offer mobile top-up and cheque deposit facilities through their ATMs.

In the future, NCR said cash machines would also offer sports scores and allow customers to check share prices while they withdraw cash.

Within a year, NCR said ATMs will begin offering the usual amount of cash people withdraw and remind them of important information such as when their home insurance is up for renewal.

"ATMs are the most frequent way that people interact with their bank, so it is no wonder that banks want to improve services through personalisation at the ATM," said Simon Rubin, NCR's vice president for financial self-service solutions for the UK.

ATMs are the most frequent way that people interact with their bank Simon Rubin, NCR's vice president

"Given the success of ATM personalisation in North America and Asia, we could expect to see the first personalised ATM in the UK within a year."

A number of banks have already expanded the range of services they offer through cash machines.

Abbey and Royal Bank of Scotland already offer mobile top-ups through ATMs.

Nationwide is offering an instant cheque payment system at 184 of its ATM machines, which give users a photocopy of the cheque they have paid in with their receipt.

Richard Lyle, a spokesman for Nationwide, said it could save time and offered peace of mind to customers.

"It processes very quickly and you've got an assurance that the cheque has been paid in," he said.

Cash warning

But there are also growing concerns about ATM fraud.

One of Britain's biggest online banks recently warned customers to limit their use of cash machines because of the growing risk of fraud.

First Direct has advised some customers to consider getting enough money out in a single withdrawal to last all week.