A Guide to the ATM and Debit Card Industry

The U.S. payments system is going through a period of rapid change. Paper checks are increasingly giving way to electronic forms of payment, which themselves are being transformed as new products, new players, and new industry structures arise. Some of the most dramatic changes are being seen in the automated teller machine (ATM) and debit card industry. This paper provides a much-needed overview of the ATM and debit card industry and begins the process of identifying and analyzing some of the more important public policy issues.