Teller machines evolve, proliferate in market

More that 10 billion transactions go through the nearly half-million automated teller machines in the United States every year.

Worldwide, the number of cash-dispensers is estimated at 1.5 million – a number that has tripled in the decade since owners of the machines were allowed to charge access fees in 1996, according to the American Bankers Association.

In 2006, consumers paid an average of $3 per transaction when using an ATM not owned by their financial institution, according to the 2006 ATM Deployer Study conducted by Boston-based Dove, a subsidiary of Hitachi Consulting. Nearly 66 percent of ATMs are not attached to…