The $189 million Five County Credit Union in Maine has joined apair of much larger credit unions as front-running users of a videokiosk that provides a personal teller to the traditional ATMservice delivery.

The 23,000-member CU has installed a uGenius Personal TellerMachine at a Walmart Super Center in Skowhegan, the first suchinstallation inside a national retail outlet, according to uGenius in Sandy, Utah.

Members interact with a teller through a video conference systemthat allows the same services as if the member were at a physicalbranch, including check cashing, deposits, transfers, payments andloan or other service applications.

The PTM allows the credit union to make full use of the 500square feet it has in the Walmart store, said Five County VicePresident Michael Foley. Hours are 8:30 a.m. through 8 p.m.Monday through Saturday including holidays, Foley said.

“We had been looking for an innovative way to approach branchingby better leveraging our staff resources and utilizing a smaller,more efficient, operational footprint while continuing to offer ourextended hours of service,” Foley said.

Other credit unions among the clients who have deployed morethan 100 of the PTM units in the United States, Canada andAustralia are the $2 billion Coastal FCU in Raleigh, N.C., and the$711 million Mid-Hudson Valley FCU in Kingston, N.Y.

Coastal uses the service in more than a dozen branches, thecompany said, and offers 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. service daily, includingweekends. Mid-Hudson uses the PTMs to provide 7/24 interaction with alive member service representative.