Pub. 6 2016-2017 Issue 4

12 O V E R A C E N T U R Y : B U I L D I N G B E T T E R B A N K S - H E L P I N G C O L O R A D A N S R E A L I Z E D R E A M S FEATURE ARTICLE DIMITRIS ROUSSEAS, COMPLIANCE ALLIANCE Rather than have a protracted court battle and the high litigation cost that comes with it, most banks decided to settle the cases, often for several thousand dollars. I t wasn’t but just a few years ago that banks were getting hit with claims that their ATMs did not meet ADA compliance. A tidal wave of class action lawsuits against banks began in 2012 when the new ADA stan- dards on ATM accessibility become effective. Rather than have a protracted court battle and the high litigation cost that comes with it, most banks decided to settle the cases, often for several thousand dollars. Just as the dust is settling on the ATM lawsuits, a new crop of lawsuits are being levied against banks (and other businesses alike): non-compliance with ADA standards for website accessibility. Back in 2012, banks had the benefit of a 2 year warning before the standards for ATM accessibility became effective. The standards for ATMaccessibility were issued in 2010 with an effective date of March 15, 2012. The rule was clear, and gave banks ample time to up- grade their ATMs. While that is cold comfort ADA and The Bank’s Website