NCR acquires Utah interactive teller machin..

Tech • Operations of uGenius to remain in state but be absorbed by Georgia firm.

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Georgia-based NCR Corp., announced Friday it has acquired uGenius Technology Inc. in Sandy, a maker of bank teller machines that use video conferencing between the customer and a call-center representative.

NCR Corp. spokesman Jeff Dudash said terms of deal would not be disclosed. The Duluth, Ga., company initially bought a minority stake in uGenius in January 2012.

The Utah company had been working with NCR to develop the APTRA Interactive Teller, an ATM that allows the customer to interact remotely with a teller. The machine and the teller can perform up to 95 percent of an in-person teller's services.

"Video banking — or as we prefer to call it, remote assisted service — will continue to gain momentum in the U.S. and other countries in 2013. Remote assisted service is proving to help financial institutions grow revenue, while at the same time reduce their operating and real estate costs," Peter Leav, executive vice president of NCR Corp., said in a statement.

Dudash said the APTRA machine is being used in financial institutions in 20 states, although none in Utah.

The Utah company will now be called NCR and keep its offices in Sandy, Dudash said. "Just about everyone from uGenius is coming over to NCR," he said of the roughly 50 uGenius employees. Founder and CEO Gene Pranger will not be among them, but President Jed Taylor will become general manger in charge of video banking for NCR.

NCR produces hardware and software for self-service machines, including ATMs and self-checkout machines for grocery stores.

vince@sltrib.com

NCR acquires Utah interactive teller machine maker