BALTIMORE—Securityplus FCU is one of the first CUs in the country to test facial recognition biometric software for member authentication, and it is launching the technology at the same time it introduces a sophisticated member service kiosk.
The combination of the high-tech kiosk—which gives members access to information on their entire CU relationship via a17-inch touch-screen—and the added security of biometrics opens the door to a new level of member self-service, the CU says.
“Security with our new CU Express kiosk has to be very strong,” said Senior Systems Engineer Mike Adams, who explained a kiosk will be rolled out just before Christmas at is Securityplus West office. “The member views the same relationship profile our tellers see, but in a more user-friendly format that makes sense to them.”
CU Express
The CU Express kiosk can perform just about any teller transaction—including printing money orders and cashier’s checks, cashing payroll checks to the penny, breaking bills, checking deposit and loan balances, accepting a loan payment, and printing out 90-day transaction history on any account.
It also can also enroll a new member, said Adams. “It gives new members detailed information on the credit union and how to join. The member can send an e-mail response, or if they prefer, print a member application to take with them.”
The $355-million CU does not plan to add loan applications to the kiosk, as those transactions take too much time for a kiosk designed to move quickly and limit member wait time.
The Facial Scan Takes Only Seconds
“Facial recognition is the future of biometrics,” contended Adams, who predicts more financial institutions will adopt the technology. “It’s not like taking a photo with a camera and the comparing images. With biometric facial recognition you are checking the geometry of the face, like the distance between pupils.”
The CU is employing software developed by Virginia Beach, Va.-based Real Time Kiosks. Members sign on at the kiosk with their membership numbers, and then the machine’s camera takes a picture of the person’s face, keeping the image on file. Facial recognition is then used for all future transactions, although members can also use the kiosk by entering an eight-digit PIN number.
For multiple transactions, the software continually scans the member's face. If a new face appears, the transaction stops.
Facial recognition was pursued after Securityplus determined a fingerprint-based solution was too cumbersome and time consuming for its 30,000 members, said Adams, who explained the CU has been using fingerprint scans for staff logon needs the last 10 years.
Better Thank Fingerprint
“Fingerprint scans were the first thing we considered for the kiosk, but setting those biometric records up takes a lot of members’ time. Members must first meet with an MSR, who then places the person’s fingertip on a reader, and then makes sure the image is good. The facial scan is a completely passive technology—easy for the member.”
If members respond well to the Security West kiosk—which will be available 24/7—Securityplus could roll out the machines to all branches. Staff at the initial location have been testing the kiosk using their own CU account information.
“We want our team to become accustomed to using the kiosk so they feel comfortable answering all of the members’ questions,” said Adams, who declined to share costs for the kiosk or the facial recognition technology.
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