CrossCheck Blog

Seven-year-old Ralph (or Ralphie, as his friends call him) comes into your office. You’re his optometrist and you’ve just fitted him for his first pair of glasses. Ralphie has struggled in school because of headaches and vision problems, which in some cases have even resulted in behavioral problems because he feels unsure whenever he is asked to read something off the board at the front of the classroom.

All motorcycle manufacturers have been rejoicing as sales increased dramatically during the first half of this year, following an almost disastrous 2020. For instance, Italian manufacturer Ducati posted a 33% increase for Q1, while Harley-Davidson notched a 24% uptick for Q2.

Accepting a check as payment can be a common transaction for business owners. Whether it be part of accepting invoice payments or processing checks at the point of sale. There are many things to consider once a check enters the clearing process after the initial transaction is complete, most of all — “How long does it take to process a check?” When answering the question of how long it takes to process a check, there are a few more questions to consider, such as: Are the deposited funds available right away? Do online deposits post faster? Is it still possible for checks to be returned from the bank after they’ve been accepted? In this article, we’ll address these questions and simultaneously detail the ways you can speed up the deposit process.

Accepting checks is a preferred payment type for many merchants — especially those selling big-ticket items — and is a reliable tool for increasing sales and widening customer reach. Accepting checks is one thing, but deciding how to accept check payments safely is another. That is why many merchants choose payment solutions like CrossCheck’s Electronic Check Processing to securely accept, process and deposit checks into their business accounts without leaving the office.

As a business owner in today’s COVID-19 business space, deciding the best ways to accept payments in 2021 is a critical decision that has prompted a few questions. Are your current payment options safe and convenient for customers? As businesses open back up, are customers returning to their old payment habits or moving on to new ones? Forcing customers to change is never a good idea, but giving them options is always a great idea. Do customers want to pay right now or pay with terms? Is the option they are looking for cash, check, debit, credit, or even bitcoin? Searching for the right solution with all the variables experienced in 2020 can be daunting for any business, no matter the size. Furthermore, there was a shift to contactless payments in 2021 and those changes are here to stay. When looking at payment options and solutions, finding the right combination is key. 

Here at CrossCheck, we have been “all eyes and ears” in recent years over news about electric cars because our primary customer base is new car dealerships. Since we maintain an active dialogue with dealerships, we are well aware that CrossCheck and dealerships are fielding a lot questions about how we see the future of electric vehicles (EVs). Consequently, we thought it would be helpful to share a few opinions about how EVs will unfold over the next few years. First, we pay close attention to the developments in this space, which is obviously critical to our business. Second, we want to “think like a customer” – our dealer merchants – and the dealers want to think like their customers – the car-buying consumers.

The September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York’s financial district changed the nation in many ways. The emotional scars still linger, the rebuilding of physical structures continues today, and Congress reformed the way the banking industry handles check processing. During the second half of the 20th Century, paper checks were flown between US depository financial institutions on a nightly basis. That approach reached crisis on 9/11. For security reasons, all non-military aircraft were grounded for two days following the hijackings and check processing was temporarily halted in conjunction with air travel. In 2003, Congress passed the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act (Check 21) to abate future disruptions, opening the door for banks and other institutions to process checks electronically. The law enables recipients of paper checks to create scanned digital versions, eliminating the need to handle paper checks. When Check 21 took effect October 2004, a function known as remote deposit capture (RDC) was introduced to facilitate the acceptance of those scanned images as deposits.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in February of 2014  and has been updated on August 7, 2015 to reflect new information.  After close of business each day, you collect all of your customer’s checks, fill out deposit slips, and either you drive to and from the bank yourself or send one of your employees. You take all the shortcuts you know (maybe even run a yellow light or two) just so you can get to the bank before it closes to ensure you will get paid.

We have touted remote deposit capture's benefits ever since it was introduced more than a decade ago. For those who don't know, remote deposit capture (RDC) effectively brings the bank teller window to your place of business. It also allows business owners to:

Americans write a check to pay for one out of every five purchases of $100 or more, and over the course of the recession the value of an average check ballooned to $1,420.50 while one in five people said they increased their use of checks.  Why are checks gaining traction now, right in the midst of a revolution in digital payments? First, because a handwritten check is an exceedingly secure form of payment, and second, because checks have the highest rating for bookkeeping accuracy, an aspect of checkwriting that appeals to fiscally conservative consumers whose ranks grew dramatically during the recession.