A banking system controlled by data bearing records utilizes metrics in acquiring and processing event data related to financial transaction activity at a plurality of automated banking machines. The system uses machine sensors to detect event data during a transaction. For each machine, the system can obtain, analyze, and store event data. The event data can include transaction data related to transaction type, time analysis data related to transaction duration, and operational data related to machine components used during the transaction. Statistical machine averages can be determined and compared by the system in real time. The system can produce statistics related to component performance, such as check reader performance in reading check data from generated check images. The system can also be used to detect and then alleviate potential problems, such as by causing a machine to perform an early sending of check images.