It's a TYME machine again! Landmark Credit Union is bringing back Wisconsin's unique ATM moniker.

Karl Ebert, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·3 min read
This is a mockup of a Landmark Credit Union TYME branded ATM. The Brookfield-based credit union is bringing the TYME logo back to Wisconsin as part of its marketing of a new generation of ATMs.
This is a mockup of a Landmark Credit Union TYME branded ATM. The Brookfield-based credit union is bringing the TYME logo back to Wisconsin as part of its marketing of a new generation of ATMs.

The TYME machine is returning to Wisconsin.

Nearly 20 years after the last TYME ATM disappeared, Landmark Credit Union is bringing the name back as part of the marketing strategy for its new line of advanced ATMs.

The TYME brand, an acronym for "Take Your Money Everywhere," was created in the 1970s as a partnership between four Milwaukee banks. The company they created, TYME Corp., was based in Brown Deer and had more than 27,000 ATMS in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota before it merged with Pulse in 2002.

The brand disappeared in 2004.

Years have passed, yet many Wisconsinites continue to refer to ATMs as TYME machines, a colloquialism that confounds the rest of the world to this day.

Brian Melter, Landmark's chief experience officer, said he started thinking about bringing back the TYME name and logo as a way to have fun, play on state history and establish a distinctive brand as the Brookfield-based credit union laid plans for a new generation of ATMs.

"We decided to pursue TYME because it was a part of the fabric of Wisconsin and was an engaging way to bring back an iconic brand while also showcasing the latest ATM technology," Melter said.

The new ATMs perform all the functions you'd expect, while offering refinements like being able to withdraw money in the denominations of your choice, to deposit any combination of currency and checks, and to direct deposits to one or more accounts.

The credit union has been teasing the arrival of the TYME brand in recent weeks with billboards in and around Milwaukee that include the TYME logo and throwback images of roller skates, mix tapes and other 1980s staples.

"They were meant to evoke a smile and kind of get the conversation going," Melter said.

People utilize a TYME machine in 1978 at Brookfield Square. The TYME brand, an acronym for "Take Your Money Everywhere," was created in the 1970s as a partnership between four Milwaukee banks.
People utilize a TYME machine in 1978 at Brookfield Square. The TYME brand, an acronym for "Take Your Money Everywhere," was created in the 1970s as a partnership between four Milwaukee banks.

Landmark Credit Union customers still frequently use ATMs

An investment in ATMs may seem almost as archaic as the TYME name itself.

Melter said about two-thirds of Landmark's members are active users of online banking services, but ATMs remain an important part of Landmark's offerings, accounting for more than 100,000 transactions a month and about $15 million in monthly deposits and withdrawals. He expects that to grow as Landmark upgrades its three dozen existing ATMs and adds another two dozen TYME Advanced ATMs over the next six months.

"There still is great usage of ATMs," he said.

Getting access to the name was a challenge, Melter said.

Pulse, now a division of Discover Financial Services, initially rejected Landmark's request last year to revive the TYME name and logo. Melter said a business contact at Pulse helped convince the company to ink a licensing deal with the credit union.

Landmark Credit Union has more than $6 billion in total assets and more than 360,000 members. It has 35 branches in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington and Ozaukee counties.

More: From TYME machine to ope!, here's why many Wisconsinites say these words and more

Contact Karl Ebert at kebert@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @karlwebert.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Landmark Credit Union bringing back TYME machine ATMs to Wisconsin