CrossCheck Blog

Even while employing the services of check processing companies that verify and guarantee checks, auto dealers often find themselves having to decline a down payment check on the recommendation of the check processing company.

There are inherent risks associated with accepting a check for goods or services, which is where check guarantee services come in. However, not all check guarantee services are created equal when it comes to risk aversion and often will decline a check - particularly for large-ticket items - as the risk increases with the dollar volume.

When merchants sell something, they expect to get paid in full right away in order to generate more revenue. They don’t expect to have the payment fail for one reason or another, and never get the money. This seems pretty obvious, but every payment system has failure points, except perhaps the Federal Reserve Wire Transfer system (and even this is not immune from fraud). In this short piece, we will explore the concept of check guarantee, and how check guarantee providers manage their business to meet predictable targets for payment failure, salvage, and write-offs. Not every business is a candidate for check guarantee, but for those that are, such as car dealers and building supply companies, they can’t live without it!