Affinity Technology of Columbia, S.C., Reports Quarterly Loss.(Originated from The State, Columbia, S.C.)

Aug. 7--Halfway through what company executives call a critical year, Affinity Technology Group Inc. is losing money at a rate of more than $1 million a month.

The Columbia-based company, which has its name atop the former AT&T building downtown, recorded a net loss of $4.4 million in the second quarter. For the first six months of 1997, the maker and marketer of software for automated loan machines has lost $7.7 million.

In all of 1996, the company's losses totaled $9.6 million.

Executives said Wednesday that while sales have been slower than anticipated, the company has used the first half of the year to develop additional products that …