<s>
ERMA	B-Device
(	O
Electronic	B-Device
Recording	I-Device
Machine	I-Device
,	I-Device
Accounting	I-Device
)	O
was	O
a	O
computer	O
technology	O
that	O
automated	O
bank	O
bookkeeping	O
and	O
check	O
processing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Payments	O
experts	O
contend	O
that	O
ERMA	B-Device
"	O
established	O
the	O
foundation	O
for	O
computerized	B-Application
banking	I-Application
,	O
magnetic	O
ink	O
character	B-Application
recognition	I-Application
(	O
MICR	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
credit-card	O
processing	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Calling	O
the	O
machine	O
the	O
GE-100	B-Device
,	O
a	O
total	O
of	O
32	O
ERMA	B-Device
machines	O
were	O
built	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GE	O
would	O
use	O
this	O
experience	O
to	O
develop	O
several	O
mainframe	B-Architecture
computer	I-Architecture
lines	O
before	O
selling	O
the	O
division	O
to	O
Honeywell	O
in	O
1970	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
1950	O
they	O
contracted	O
SRI	O
for	O
an	O
initial	O
feasibility	O
study	O
for	O
automating	B-Application
their	O
bookkeeping	O
and	O
check	O
handling	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ERMA	B-Device
was	O
under	O
the	O
technical	O
leadership	O
of	O
computer	O
scientist	O
Jerre	O
Noe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Beise	O
demanded	O
a	O
system	O
that	O
would	O
not	O
require	O
the	O
information	O
to	O
be	O
changed	O
from	O
one	O
medium	O
to	O
another	O
,	O
from	O
check	O
to	O
punched	B-Architecture
card	I-Architecture
for	O
instance	O
,	O
while	O
simultaneously	O
lowering	O
error	O
rates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SRI	O
investigated	O
several	O
solutions	O
to	O
the	O
problem	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
first	O
OCR	B-Application
system	O
from	O
a	O
company	O
in	O
Arlington	O
,	O
Virginia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
,	O
they	O
decided	O
to	O
combine	O
the	O
two	O
technologies	O
,	O
and	O
used	O
MICR-printed	O
account	O
numbers	O
which	O
could	O
be	O
read	O
by	O
a	O
magnetic	O
reader	O
similar	O
to	O
those	O
in	O
a	O
cassette	B-Device
tape	I-Device
recorder	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
final	O
ERM	O
computer	O
contained	O
more	O
than	O
a	O
million	O
feet	O
(	O
304,800	O
metres	O
)	O
of	O
wiring	O
,	O
8,000	O
vacuum	O
tubes	O
,	O
34,000	O
diodes	O
,	O
5	O
input	O
consoles	O
with	O
MICR	O
readers	O
,	O
2	O
magnetic	O
memory	B-General_Concept
drums	I-General_Concept
,	O
the	O
check	O
sorter	O
,	O
a	O
high-speed	O
printer	O
,	O
a	O
power	O
control	O
panel	O
,	O
a	O
maintenance	O
board	O
,	O
24	O
racks	O
holding	O
1,500	O
electrical	O
packages	O
and	O
500	O
relay	O
packages	O
,	O
and	O
12	O
magnetic	O
tape	O
drives	O
for	O
2,400	O
-foot	O
(	O
731-metre	O
)	O
tape	O
reels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
took	O
the	O
basic	O
design	O
,	O
but	O
decided	O
it	O
was	O
time	O
to	O
move	O
the	O
tube-based	O
system	O
to	O
a	O
transistor-based	O
one	O
using	O
core	B-General_Concept
memory	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
production	O
ERMA	B-Device
system	O
,	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
GE-100	B-Device
,	O
was	O
installed	O
in	O
1959	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Over	O
the	O
next	O
two	O
years	O
32	O
systems	O
were	O
installed	O
and	O
by	O
1966	O
twelve	O
regional	O
ERMA	B-Device
centers	O
served	O
all	O
but	O
21	O
of	O
Bank	O
of	O
America	O
's	O
900	O
branches	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
automation	B-Application
was	O
so	O
effective	O
that	O
it	O
allowed	O
Bank	O
of	O
America	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
first	O
bank	O
to	O
offer	O
credit	O
cards	O
attached	O
to	O
a	O
user	O
's	O
bank	O
account	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ERMA	B-Device
machines	O
were	O
replaced	O
with	O
newer	O
equipment	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
1970s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
a	O
special	O
room	O
commemorating	O
ERMA	B-Device
machines	O
inside	O
the	O
Bank	O
of	O
America	O
facilities	O
in	O
Concord	O
,	O
California	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Payments	O
experts	O
contend	O
that	O
ERMA	B-Device
"	O
established	O
the	O
foundation	O
for	O
computerized	B-Application
banking	I-Application
,	O
magnetic	O
ink	O
character	B-Application
recognition	I-Application
(	O
MICR	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
credit-card	O
processing	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
