Check Positive Pay
Take the time to prevent fraud before it happens. When fraudulent checks are presented for payment, make sure you have the right tools in place to stop them.
Protect your business against check fraud. Check fraud is the leading type of payment fraud today. Businesses and organizations are the primary targets of check fraud professionals. It’s a growing problem that costs billions of dollars each year. Check Positive Pay provides the peace of mind that only authentic, authorized checks will be paid from your accounts.
The Solution:
Before you issue checks, you submit an “Issue File” through First Merchants Business Online Banking which includes the issue date, check number, and dollar amount for each check you have issued. Issue Files received by 6:00 pm ET will be processed the same business day.
As checks are presented to the bank for payment, they are electronically matched with your Issue File. Only items that exactly match the checks in the Issue File will be paid from your account. Presented checks that do not match are considered “Exceptions”.
Each day, exceptions must be decided by 1:00 pm ET. You simply login to Business Online Banking to view Exceptions and then instruct First Merchants to pay or return each item.
Contact First Merchants Treasury Management to discuss business fraud prevention.
Benefits:
- Check Positive Pay helps protect your account from counterfeit duplicate, and altered checks.
- First Merchants Business Online Banking is real time, so your account is protected as soon as we receive your issue file and items.
- Check issue files may be submitted in several formats for your convenience.
- Submit check issue information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via Business Online Banking.
- Upload a file of issued check or input items individually.
- Can be easily integrated with account reconciliation programs.
- Saves you the time, money, and worry involved in dealing with check fraud.
Additional Options:
Reverse Positive Pay – With Reverse Positive Pay, every check presented is considered a Suspect. Through the online system, you decide to pay or return each item.
Printable Quick Start Guide
Download and print our Check Positive Pay Quick Start Guide, featuring step-by-step instructions here.
First Merchants offers a broad product suite and experienced professionals to deliver superior service, along with customized solutions to effectively manage cash flow for any size and type of organization. For more information, call our Treasury Solutions team at 1.866.833.0050. We look forward to working with you.
