West Germans catch on to automated banking

Banking customers in West Germany are just now learning to use automated retail banking facilities. The country's large banks have been hesitant about installing the electronic units, despite their growing popularity in other industrialized nations.

At present, several West German commercial banks are experimenting with the idea in a joint Berlin enterprise.

But it has taken two regional banks, Landesgirokasse (Stuttgart) and Bayerische Vereinsbank (Munich) to lead the way in this customer-convenience field.

Bayerische Vereinsbank 15 of the electronic tellers now operating, and Landesgirokasse projects a total of 30 will be open for business by the end of the year. Most of the units operate 24 hours a day. They provide a switching service from various customer accounts, dispense cash, and on demand will release bank-balance account information.

Extension of the automated ser vices will probably be made later in the year to smaller outlying West German cities.