Wells Fargo is in the midst of rolling out its new Envelope-FreeSM ATMs all across the country. Now, many people are thrilled, as you can see from conversations on The Wells Fargo-Wachovia blog about the subject. Frank from Miami said, “the atm is AWESOME! Extremely easy to use.” Melinda said, “I love these new ATMs — they indeed save time and are a great addition.” Susan Garrett said she can’t wait for these ATMs to come to Texas and that she hopes it cuts down on fraud. I, on the other hand, am thoroughly confused… Since the Wells Fargo/Wachovia merger in late 2008, Wells Fargo has taken immense pride in rebranding all of the excess Wachovia branches and ATMs to the Wells Fargo name. In fact, the bank just finished its scheduled rebrand in the entire state of Texas in late July: over 700 ATMs and 1,000 branch stores supporting an estimated 1.91 million households. Then why in the name of financial reform is Wells Fargo unveiling Wachovia branded ATMs? And they aren’t doing this unknowingly. According to The Wells Fargo-Wachovia Blog, “Wachovia ATMs have become Envelope-Free in Alabama, Florida, Connecticut, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.” Wait, Texas? I thought they just got done rebranding all of Texas. At any rate, the important thing is not branding, then re-branding and, in this case, re-branding the rebrand… or, um, whatever this is. The ATM is envelope-free people. Envelope-free! Write to Christine Ricciardi.

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