Haven’t got any wonga (money) on you to pay for your Britneys (beers)? Not to fear, Bank Machine today announces the launch of five ATMs in East London that will display prompts and options in Cockney language.

Customer’s who opt for the Cockney option, will be asked to enter their Huckleberry Finn (PIN) and will then be able to select sausage and mash (cash) amounts such as a speckled hen (£10). The machine will then advise that the machine is contacting their Rattle and Tank (Bank) for approval.

Ron Delnevo, Managing Director of Bank Machine, comments:

“We wanted to introduce something fun and of local interest to our London machines. Whilst we expect some residents will visit the machine to just have a butchers (look), most will be genuinely pleased as this is the first time a financial services provider will have recognised the cockney language in such a manner.”

The service will be offered alongside English for 3 months so if customers feel they have to use their loaf (head) too much to understand the phrases, they can always switch back to use the plain English option.

The cockney language is mostly associated with East London but has been picked up across London and beyond. Whilst no longer the preferred method of communication for most modern day Londoners, it has seeped into a variety of popular culture including appearances in Charles Dickens’ novel ‘Oliver Twist’ to ‘My Fair Lady’ to ‘Eastenders’ and films such as ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’.

Ron Delnevo states:

“Through cockney ATMS, Bank Machine is celebrating the creativity and comedy manifest within this distinctly London dialect, hopefully ensuring that this much loved lingo doesn’t pass into obscurity.”

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors:

• The Cockney option will be available from 10.45am Monday 24th August 2009 for approximately 3 months.

• The machines will be located at the following addresses:
- Murco Service Station, Hatch Lane, Chingford, London, E4 6LP
- 447 Roman Road, London, E3 5LX
- 73 Commercial Street, London, E1 6BD
- 24 High Street, Walthamstow, London E17 7LD
- 197 Mays Lane, Barnet, EN5 2DY

• Last year, £186 billion was dispensed from cash machines in the UK, an average of £5903 per second. This figure is forecast by APACS to steadily grow over the next five years.

• Bank Machine created the UK’s Acquirer-only ATM market ten years ago and now has more than 2,500 cash machines in locations including cinemas, garage forecourts and retail outlets – ranging from Selfridges to convenience stores.

• Bank Machine operates both pay-to-use and free-to-use ATMs, with over 600 free-to-use ATMs installed in, for example, NHS hospitals, military bases, Universities and low-income areas.

• Based in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Bank Machine (a division of Cardtronics Inc.) now has over 100 staff.

• For further information about Bank Machine, please visit its website (www.bankmachine.com) or contact Surinder Kaur Gill at Quintus Communications on 0207 340 6290 / email surinder@quintuscommunications.com