Metro Bank Improves Customer Experience with NCR’s Branch Transformation Technology

NCR teller cash recyclers cut cash handling time, enabling an open plan branch design and staff to deliver excellent service

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Staff at Metro Bank, the first new high street retail bank to enter the UK market for 100 years, are spending less time handling cash and more time serving customers or “fans” thanks to innovative teller cash recycling technology from NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR).

Up to 40 per cent of a teller’s time is spent counting and re-counting cash at traditional teller lines. Metro Bank has cut this significantly with NCR’s teller cash recyclers, which automate the acceptance, authentication and validation of note deposits and make the cash instantly available for dispensing to customers.

NCR teller cash recyclers are being used at Metro Bank’s Holborn, Earl’s Court and Fulham stores and will also be rolled out to their next store at Borehamwood which opens at the end of October. The bank plans twelve further outlets in Greater London over the next two years with an ultimate goal for a network of more than 200 stores.

Craig Donaldson, CEO of Metro Bank, comments, “NCR’s teller cash recyclers have enabled Metro Bank to design new stores that will help us transform the face of British banking through unparalleled service, simplified products and extended opening hours. The innovative, cash automation technology means staff can focus their full attention on delivering excellent fast and accurate financial services to customers rather than on administrative tasks.”

The units have a range of hardware and software security features which eliminate the need for traditional glass barriers between staff and customers. This has enabled Metro Bank to create welcoming and modern, open plan stores.

Elton Birden, NCR’s Managing Director for Northern Europe, comments, “Metro Bank is using NCR teller cash recyclers to help speed up transactions, reduce wait times and achieve unmatched levels of customer service.”

Running on NCR APTRA Cash Connect software in a unique thin client environment, the teller cash recyclers, called NCR Cash Recycler, reduce the time taken for start- and end-of-day balancing by giving each teller an instant, individual cash drawer balance. With NCR Cash Recycler’s unique continuous feed functionality, tellers can process large customer deposits in a single transaction freeing up time to offer a more personal service to their “fans”.

About Metro Bank

Metro Bank was co-founded by Vernon Hill and Anthony Thomson. It is based on the successful Commerce Bank model that was established by Vernon Hill in the US in 1973. A UK management team worked with Vernon Hill to help bring this model to the UK market.

Metro Bank operates retail hours, not banking hours. It will be open seven days a week (8am- 8pm Monday to Friday, 8am - 6pm Saturday, 11am - 4pm Sunday and bank holidays), every day of the year apart from Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

Metro Bank PLC. Registered in England and Wales. Company number: 6419578. Registered office: One Southampton Row, London, WC1B 5HA. ‘Metrobank’ is the registered trade mark of Metro Bank PLC.

Metro Bank PLC is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in relation to acceptance of deposits and provision of investment and insurance services. In relation to consumer credit business, Metro Bank PLC is licensed and regulated by the Office of Fair Trading and not by the FSA. Most relevant deposits are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. For further information about the Scheme refer to the FSCS website www.fscs.org.uk.

All Metro Bank products are subject to status and approval.

Metro Bank PLC is an independent UK bank - it is not affiliated with any other bank or organisation (including the METRO newspaper or its publishers) anywhere in the world. Please refer to Metro Bank using the full name.

Metro Bank is led by a talented team of UK Executives:

Craig Donaldson, Chief Executive Officer, formerly Managing Director of Retail Banking at Royal Bank of Scotland
Paul Marriott-Clarke, Managing Director, Retail Banking, formerly Managing Director, Network South, Retail, HBOS
Darren Schindler, Managing Director, Commercial Banking, formerly CEO, Oak Capital Group
Aisling Kane, Chief Operations Officer, formerly Director of UK Operations at Anglo Irish Bank
Mike Brierley, Chief Financial Officer, formerly Director, Business Risk at Barclaycard
Mike Hudson, Chief Risk Officer, formerly Group Head of Risk at Hitachi Capital

Its non-executive directors are:

Stuart Bernau, former Retail Director, Nationwide Building Society
Keith Carby, Co-founder, J Rothschild Assurance
Howard Flight, Founder, Guinness Flight Asset Management
Ben Gunn, former Chief Executive of Friends Provident Life & Pensions
Vernon Hill, Founder of Commerce Bank
Eugene Lockhart, former CEO of Midland Bank and MasterCard International and former President, Global Retail Banking at Bank of America
Anthony Thomson, Chairman, Financial Services Forum

About NCR Corporation

NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) is a global technology company leading how the world connects, interacts and transacts with business. NCR’s assisted- and self-service solutions and comprehensive support services address the needs of retail, financial, travel, healthcare, hospitality, entertainment, gaming and public sector organizations in more than 100 countries. NCR (www.ncr.com) is headquartered in Duluth, Georgia.

NCR is a trademark of NCR Corporation in the United States and other countries.