Gate City Bank Adds New Hand Scanners, Looks to Speed Up Lines in Branches

The bank plans to roll out the scanners to all 36 locations in the next few weeks

FARGO, N.D. — Whenever people go to the bank, they might stand around in line for hours.

However, starting in July, Gate City Bank introduced a new device that can identify a customer without them digging through their wallets.

“The palm has a million unique patterns to each individual that it uses to identify you, and nobody else has your same pattern in your palm,” said Jennifer Dirk, the Vice President of Depositing and Card Services at Gate City Bank.

Customers still have the option to show the teller a valid driver’s license, but more people are starting to use their palms to serve as their ID.

“It’s faster and more convenient for the customer because it recognizes their palm and it will pull up their information for the teller,” said Dirk.

Even the people behind the counter are on board with the new technology.

“Wallets sometimes don’t let you get your ID as easy as you would like. Sometimes you’re fumbling around with all the stuff in your pockets. Your hands are always readily available most of the time, and it’s already in front of you, so scan in, or palm in as we like to say, and it brings all your information in front of me, and I don’t have to question your identity,” said Zachary Thorseth, a Senior Customer Service Representative at Gate City Bank.

So far Gate City Bank has rolled out the technology at ten locations across the metro, and they plan on gradually introducing the scanners at all thirty six locations across Western Minnesota and North Dakota.

As one of the first banks to use the scanners, Dirk says that the new devices keep Gate City Bank at the forefront of banking technology in the metro.

“We like to be a leader in our community in technology and innovation, so this is just one of our ways in that we feel we are meeting our goal,” said Dirk.

If anyone wants to use the palm technology at Gate City Bank, they can sign up with one of the tellers at one of the locations in the metro.

Gate City Bank plans to bring the rest of the branches up to speed in the next few weeks.