Wells Fargo loads more than cash into ATMs

Wells Fargo customers can do their banking at automated teller machines while viewing news headlines from MSNBC.com, video advertisements and even movie trailers, the company said.

The bank introduced Web-enabled ATMs in Los Angeles and San Francisco today and is planning to link 800 ATMs to the Net during the next year, furthering the company's plans to "harness the power of the Internet."

For some time, banks have been tinkering with ATMs to increase profitability. Wells Fargo was among the first to dispense postage stamps from its ATMs, and other banks have begun using the machines to dole out everything from event tickets to coupons.

"Our new Web-enabled ATMs are street-corner portals to online information," Bob Chlebowski, executive president of Wells Fargo Distribution Strategies, said in a written statement.

The ATMs will run videos of advertisements or movie trailers when not in use. Wells Fargo has more than 6,000 ATMs across North America.