Checks will clear in a matter of hours now, not days. You will no longer be getting your cancelled checks back with your bank statement. If you get anything at all, it will be a "substitute check" which is a certain kind of copy of your original check. You may be charged extra fees. It's possible that by using this method, your check will be paid twice: once with the original and once with the scanned image.

Or there may be an error made in the amount a check was written for in the process of turning an paper check into an electronic check. What you should do: Re-organize your budget. You have to make sure that you have the funds in your account to cover every check you write to avoid bouncing any checks. Request substitute checks. You will not be entitled to a credit to your account if an error has been made unless you have a substitute check.

Balance your checkbook. If you are not in the habit of balancing your checkbook with your bank statement each month, you need to start. This will ensure that you'll find any mistakes that may have been made. Learn more. Consumer's Union did not support Check 21.

Find out why and learn more about Check 21 HERE.

Romar operated business on very low margins, with hopes to increase its overall revenue and profits through its design studio, advertising/ marketing agency and off-shore production business. Romar's investigation also revealed that many of its ex-employees were involved in outside businesses that conflict with Romar's business units and interests, although each employee signed confidentiality and non-competing agreements. Some ex-employees were operating their businesses while they worked at a Romar office; and collected higher than market salaries. It was also discovered that some of Romar's managers possibly compelled staff to perform duties for their outside businesses, paid unauthorized vacation pay, theft of equipment, used Romar resources to manufacture products for their own benefit and created fictitious businesses and generated invoices while Romar paid for them.Don Polk said, "I am stunned to learn this. I trusted many of our employees gave them higher than market salaries and allowed them to "run day to day operations".

To add insult to injury, some of these people are part of the payback Romar scheme to distribute or circulate erroneous information."These practices and other problems created a temporary set back for Romar. Romar's accounting department was a separate unit of long time accountants located in Woodland Hills, California.Romar accountants' role has been to keep the books, issue payroll checks, pay vendors and suppliers and pay all applicable tax. Apparently, Romar's accountants failed to pay a small portion of its payroll tax roughly 180,000 out of one million dollars. Consequently, through further accountant negligence of failed payments and penalties, a lien was place on Romar's account at Manufacturer's Bank unknown to Romar's managers; and New Jersey accountants who handle the main financial business of Romar's shareholders/ investors. After Romar's accountant's agreed to pay its tax, a "surprise" lien was placed on Romar's account at Manufacturers Bank which left Romar, who was already experiencing cash flow problems, with four of Romar's Los Angeles accounts depleted.

After payroll and expense checks were returned to employees from their banks, cashiers checks were issued."If any current or ex-employee of Romar or companies where checks were cashed are owed monies and we can verify the information, we would be more than happy to make necessary arrangements to reimburse what we owe", said Gerry Pavo, accounting department.Don Polk, President, Chief Executive Officer and majority shareholder says, "Maybe this is an expensive but necessary lesson learned. I allowed complacency and took my eyes off one of our most hopeful and promising investments. I gave people management and decision making opportunities who were not ready. I also took my eyes off of my most important guidance counselor, my Lord Jesus Christ".Romar is a unique organization and private. "Maybe we are too private and should communicate better with out employees and the public, said Polk.

Doing so with caution, for example, could help eliminate openings for slanderous statements by unknown sources.Romar financed and finance its businesses mainly through private funding from its multi-millionaire shareholders. Romar shareholders/ investors will continue to support its businesses.Please contact us at e-mail protected from spam bots if you have questions or visit, www.romargroup.com. You may also contact Romar's general counsel or labor attorney by request.Contact: Linda Haithcox213-621-4403.

This is a minus unless your bank isn't using the substitute check negotiable instrument.Asking your banker is your only way to know for sure. Of course, if you have been reading your statements, the answer may be right in front of you. But, it may not. So, repeating myself, ask your banker.If your bank is using the substitute check, it is electronically transferring funds instantly between the account on which the check is drawn and the account into which it is deposited. Some would say that is nothing more than a simple bank transaction.I would agree but the kicker is the original paper check never changes hands.

If you see an inherent problem, welcome to the club. However, this article isn't about problems, inherent or otherwise, with electronic facsimile substitute checks, it is about you knowing about the new procedure put in place by the government to insure commerce continues even under the most dire of events.You can learn more about the Check 21 Act by visiting the Federal Reserve at:www.federalreserve.gov/paymentsystems/truncation/default.htmI don't know about you, but I believe being forewarned means being forearmed..

Small businesses have the opportunity to have the control in most situations. You get to make the important decisions, and get to take the fall when they are bad.Checks are not the most complicated supplies in your office, but they will save you money versus hiring a company to handle it for you. There are some good ways to go about the process of setting up your accounting department, even if you are the whole department.There are some pretty basic options with business checks:

• Desk set checks. These are the basic three-to-a-page sheets usually placed in a binder. They work for payroll and other payables, but don't offer much for tracking.
• Computer checks.

  Many of these checks allow you to print them from the computer using financial software. You buy the check paper and they get printed with the click of a mouse.

• Continuous Checks. These are also printed from the computer, but are utilized for larger quantities. Depending on your business, continuous feed checks be useful.

You can expect to find the aforementioned styles of checks, and maybe a few more options specific to the printer. You pick the styles and designs that you find applicable to your business. There are many color schemes and designs, but there may be a better option. New to the check world is the photo check. A few check printers allow you to submit a JPEG photo or graphic and they will print it on your checks.

What this means, is that for a few dollars more, your business logo will be placed on your checks. You get more exposure for your business, and it really doesn't cost that much more. The orders only take about a week of so, or faster if you rush the order. You'll find that many of these sites also provide many other needed office items like pens, paper supplies, and staples. When you buy all your stuff in one place, it leaves you with more time to get your business off the ground..

Background checks sounded like a good idea for protecting their interests in the future. Many online daters have a false sense of security. Clear disclosure is required in this case, along with the meaning of 'background checks' and limitations. I want my daughter to know, and have the ability to identify felons in the future. As a parent it's incumbent of me to protect my kids future.

They are the most internet savvy generation yet...and the most likely to drop their guard."What is the legislations likelihood of success? ? "The first committees have processed it after an excellent vetting of the issues. It was debated twice for over an hour in the house. We are becoming alarmed about the number of predators and felons so anything we can do to improve the odds and safety is a good thing, a step forward, so I have a very positive outlook on this legislation. It was very carefully tailored to be minimally intrusive to the business model but offers a fair level of protection." How about married people? ? "We're not legislating on marriage disclosure. We'd be getting into morality issues." What are the next steps for the legislation? ? "There's one more committee in the house and senate.

It then goes to full votes in the senate and house and then the governor has to sign it." What are the implications for other online services? ? "ISP's are excluded from liability...background checks have nothing to do with the carriers of online dating sites. The employment area is also ripe for discussion i.e. monster.com should indicate if applicant background checks have been done. I don't see anything beyond services effecting individuals safety as possibilities for future legislation. Sites that are involved in financial deals could also choose to do background checks.

I could foresee them being offered in environments such as eBay. But, this area does not serve the same compelling safety interests for legislation. I don't have to meet people from eBay?but a background check would have some bearing on whether I trust them."The full interview appears at www.onlinepersonalswatch.com Mark Brooks: The online personals industry is unanimously against the legislation but not necessarily against background checks. See "Online Dating Sites Quarrel Over Background Checks" - http://tinyurl.com/d24pk. True.com is the first and only online dating site to offer background checks.

It recently hired hired a well-connected lobbyist and ex-Bush aide from Tampa ? former Secretary of the Department of Management Services Cynthia Henderson ? to push the background checks measure.Links to proposed legislation at www.idate2005.com; MICHIGAN SB 286, FLORIDA HB 1035, FLORIDA SB 1768, TEXAS HB 1307, CALIFORNIA AB 1681 About Online Personals Watch:Online Personals Watch has no ads, no fluff, just raw news relevant to the online personals industry. About Kevin Ambler:R-Kevin Ambler serves the Hillsborough (Tampa) area in Florida (since 2002). He serves on health care, education and veterans affairs committees as well as the judiciary committee. He is an attorney, Cornell University graduate, and served in the US Air Force. He was awarded Hillsborough's "Have A Heart" Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Attorney of the Year in 2002.About the Interviewer, Mark Brooks: Editor, Mark Brooks, is a former online personals industry executive.

In 1998 he launched ace-club.com as Silicon Valley's premier social club for young professionals. He subsequently helped launch one of the first personality profiling sites, an early version of eHarmony, which was acquired by EZBoard in 2000. Mark went on to work with the CEO/Founders of leading sites Friendster, FriendFinder and Cupid, guiding branding, marketing and acquisitions initiatives. "Finding the right partner is the most important decision a person can make. Online personals services hold high promise in helping us improve the quality of these decisions.

I hope to give greater visibility to the industry as a whole with OnlinePersonalsWatch." About iDate2005:The ?internet dating conference' is the online personals industries leading conference and gathering point. May 12-13 Hong Kong, July 21-22 San Francisco (Wireless/Mobile Dating), Sept 22-23 Prague, Feb 1-2 MiamiMedia Contact:Mark BrooksEditor, Online Personals Watch& Media Relations for iDate2005AIM/YAHOO: brooksace.

Romar's combined sales and interest for Romar US and Romar International are almost 100 million dollars. Romar operated business on very low margins, with hopes to increase its overall revenue and profits through its design studio, advertising/ marketing agency and off-shore production business. Romar's investigation also revealed that many of its ex-employees were involved in outside businesses that conflict with Romar's business units and interests, although each employee signed confidentiality and non-competing agreements. Some ex-employees were operating their businesses while they worked at a Romar office; and collected higher than market salaries of 75,000 to 415,000 annually, health benefits and expense accounts. It was also discovered that some of Romar's managers possibly compelled staff to perform duties for their outside businesses, paid unauthorized vacation pay, theft of equipment, used Romar resources to manufacture products for their own benefit and created fictitious businesses and generated invoices while Romar paid for them."I trusted many of our employees to run operations day to day.

To add insult to injury, some of these "nameless and faceless" people are part of a payback Romar scheme to distribute or circulate erroneous information." said Polk.These practices and other problems created a temporary set back for Romar. Romar's accounting department was a separate unit of long time accountants located in Woodland Hills, California.Romar accountants role have been to keep the books, issue payroll checks, pay vendors and suppliers and pay all applicable tax. Apparently, Romar's accountants failed to pay a small portion of its payroll tax roughly 180,000 out of one million dollars. Consequently, through further accountant negligence of failed payments and penalties, a lien was place on Romar's account at Manufacturer's Bank unknown to Romar's managers; and New Jersey accountants who handle the main financial business of Romar's shareholders/ investors. After Romar's accountant's agreed to pay its tax, a "surprise" lien was placed on Romar's account at Manufacturers Bank which left Romar, who was already experiencing cash flow problems, with four depleted accounts.

Payroll and expense checks were returned to employees from their banks. Bank checks were issued. Romar's New Jersey certified public accountants have made arrangements with the IRS to pay back tax."If any current or ex-employee of Romar or companies where checks were cashed are owed monies and we can verify the information, we would be more than happy to make necessary arrangements to we pay what owe", said Gerry Pavo, accounting department.Romar financed and finances its businesses mainly through private funding from its multi-millionaire shareholders. Romar shareholders/ investors will continue to support its businesses and are expected to increase Romar's budget by five million in 2005. "Romar is a unique organization and private.

Maybe we are too private and should communicate better with employees and the public." says Polk.Please contact us at e-mail protected from spam bots if you have questions or visit, www.romargroup.com. You may also contact Romar's general counsel and/or labor attorney by appointment.Contact: Linda Haithcox213-621-4403.

Floyd has repeatedly emphasized this point in presentations to the Consumer Advisory Council to the Federal Reserve System, the American Bar Assn. and the Consumer Federation of America. Floyd, who originated the automated program 17 years ago, has been an outspoken advocate for ?best practices" in the implementation and management of the popular service."This discreet service avoids the embarrassment of bank customers ?making good' on a check with a valued retailer or creditor. Neither the accountholder nor the merchant loses time or productivity in straightening out an NSF (nonsufficient funds) mess," Floyd says. "Accountholders don't wind up on retailers' bad check lists."They can avoid additional NSF charges from a merchant or expensive late payment penalties on mortgages, car loans or tuition payments.

They also can prevent negative entries on their credit record or potential visits from law enforcement for inadvertent ? but repeated ? bad checks," he added."Alabama community banks with viable overdraft programs have the opportunity to enhance customer satisfaction while increasing their non-interest or fee income," noted Scott Miller, President of CBAA Services. "Fee income has become more important to profit margins in an era of declining income from lending, bold competition from non-bank institutions and an increasingly stringent regulatory environment." "We are proud to add John M. Floyd & Associates to our select list of endorsed providers," Miller said. "JMFA's portfolio of products coupled with its competitive pricing and well-recognized customer service clearly made it the best choice for our members.""Our goal was to identify an outstanding provider that would combine all the benefits of an overdraft program with the community bank philosophy of focusing on the customer's well being," added Scott E. Latham, President and CEO of CBAA.

"I?m convinced our relationship with Floyd will help our members implement consumer-friendly programs."Overdraft Programs Vary WidelyJMFA, founded in 1973, is a leading provider of non-interest or fee income products to financial institutions. The company has installed profit improvement programs in more than 2,000 banks, thrifts and credit unions, adding billions in increased pre-tax earnings for its clients in 49 states and Central America. The company has implemented nearly 1,000 variations of its JMFA OVERDRAFT PRIVILEGE(SM) program in the past 17 years and is partnered with leading national core processors serving financial institutions."JMFA OVERDRAFT PRIVILEGE(SM) is nondiscriminatory and guaranteed to be 100% compliant with federal and state regulations, as well as with recently suggested changes," Floyd emphasized. "Our program has a proven track record of producing more income and less charge-offs for financial institutions than typical NSF programs." He also disclosed:* Of 18,000 financial institutions in the United States, as many as 3,000 are estimated to now have defined and communicated overdraft programs.* The typical fee charged on an insufficient funds check is $17 to $35. The average in 2003 was $22.50.* Studies indicate the average accountholder writes about 3.4 NSF items per year."A well-managed overdraft program is a win-win-win for the consumer, the merchant and the financial institution," Floyd said.

"Additionally, automated programs help identify troubled accountholders for necessary counseling."JMFA creates strategic programs, including PRIVILEGE MANAGER CRM(TM) software, specific to each bank, its organization and its market that maximizes all aspects of NSF revenue. It then delivers expert training, accountholder education and software to assure successful implementation and full regulatory compliance.About Community Bankers Association of Alabama:The Community Bankers Association of Alabama, founded in 1986, is a member-driven organization, representing about 130 community banks and more than 100 associate members. Its mission is to promote the preservation and continued development of community banking in Alabama through unified efforts of its membership and staff and by representing the political and educational interests of community banks within the state. JMFA OVERDRAFT PRIVILEGE(SM) and PRIVILEGE MANAGER CRM(TM) are service marks of John M. Floyd & Associates, Inc.

PRIVILEGE MANAGER CRM? is patent pending.FOR MORE INFORMATION OR INTERVIEWS:Jared Cahill, JMFA National Director of Alliances, Baytown, TX, 877-510-5603 or 505-228-7509; www.OverdraftPrivilege.comShelley G. Hildebrand, Director of Communications, Community Bankers Assn. of Alabama, Montgomery, AL, 800-239-7338; Fax 334-244-9382; www.cbaaonline.com Preston F. Kirk, APR, Kirk Public Relations, Austin, TX, 830-693-4447.

wireless providers have introducedtheir own versions of this kind of system and have recentlybeen joined by European and Australian players getting theirfeet wet in the American market. In fact, industrystatistics indicate that this is the fastest growing segmentof the wireless market. You should also note that even the large national carriersmay not be offering their prepaid plans in your area. Docheck out their websites for more information.Here's a rundown of some of the prepaid plans currentlyoffered in the U.S.:AT&T Free2Go< http://www.attws.com/personal/prepaid/index.jhtml >The nation's largest telecommunications company offers adizzying array of services, including this one. When youpurchase a Free2Go package at $99.99, you get a Nokia 3361TDMA Digital multi-network phone, battery, charger & headsetand a voucher worth $10 in airtime.Once again, you need to carefully analyze your callingpatterns.

AT&T offers a choice of a "Home Calling Plan,"which gives you one rate for local and long distance callsand another rate for roaming... and a "Nationwide CallingPlan," which gives you a higher, blanket rate (but does notcharge extra for roaming).AT&T's pricing has an additional wrinkle in that yourper-minute rate will vary depending upon the amount of yourprepaid vouchers. If you buy just a $10 Local Plan voucher,your airtime will cost you 50 cents per minute... but thatdecreases down to 12 cents per minute with a $100 voucher.Be sure you do the numbers very carefully before you buy!One nice thing about AT&T's plan is that if you have an oldphone lying around that is compatible with their network,you can just go down to one of their dealers and pick up aFree2Go Starter Kit at no cost - all you pay for is yourairtime to get started!BoostMobile< http://www.boostmobile.com/home.htm >This Australian company is currently testing its new U.S.service in California, with plans to go national in 2003.Their youth-oriented advertising is targeted to teenagers,but that's no reason why their parents might not beinterested, if the service is good.Boost offers a nice selection of Motorola phones on theNextel network, which means that their service also includesNextel's nifty Direct Connect "walkie talkie" type feature(renamed by Boost to Boost2Way). The downside of usingNextel's network is the coverage, which is not as wide assome of the other major carriers.

Boost's phones alsofeature some nifty games (as noted above, their targetmarket is the teen segment).Packages range from $99 to $399 (for a model with a colorscreen - the better to play those games with).Airtime ranges from 35 cents per minute during peak times(Mon-Fri, 7:00 a.m - 9:00 p.m.) to 15 cents off-peak(anytime else). Boost doesn't charge for domestic longdistance or roaming.Cingular PrePaid< http://www.cingular.com >Opt for either a Nokia 3395 or an Ericsson R300z, both for$99.99. You also get $30 in airtime credit, which ischarged at 35 cents a minute during peak hours and 10 centsa minute off-peak. You also get a 10 minute mobile-to-mobilerate when calling another Cingular customer.Long distance and roaming is included, but only within yourhome network. Calls to Canada and Mexico are an additional15 cents per minute - unless you opt for Cingular's "MyCircle" plan (available to Western states customers), whichgives you a break on Mexico, Central America and otherinternational calling destinations.TracFone< http://www.tracfone.com >This company has quietly been building itself into a leaderin the U.S.

prepaid field. They offer a selection of threedifferent Nokia digital phones, starting at $79.99 (andincluding 30 minutes of airtime).As with AT&T, your per-minute cost will vary according tothe cost of your pre-paid voucher, ranging from 26 cents(when you purchase the -- minute card for $79.99) to 60cents for a $17.99 voucher (the lowest cost card). On topof that, the lower cost cards have a shelf-life of 60 days..which means that if you do not renew them within that timeperiod, your phone number will be deactivated. While thatwould not happen to me or anyone *I* know (all talkers!),if you decide to go with TracFone as your carrier, youshould look at two other card options:The Plus3 card is good for 365 days and comes with 100minutes. Every time you renew the card you receive anadditional 20 bonus minutes.

For the same price of $94.99,you can get TracFone's Annual card, which is also good forone year and gives you 150 anytime minutes.TracFone also offers a $7.95 monthly autopay program whichguarantees that your phone will never be deactivated.Verizon FreeUp< http://www.verizonwireless.com/ >Verizon's current package includes a Kyocera 2135 phone and$15 of airtime for $99.99. They also offer you 200 BonusWeekend Minutes every time you "ReUp" for $50, and 50 bonusminutes when you renew for $30-$49.99.Rates are 30 cents for weekend minutes, and 15 cents forMobile to Mobile and nights and weekends, as long as youremain within their network. Domestic long distance isincluded. Off network (roaming) rates are 99 cents perminute. Cards expire in 30 to 120 days, depending upon theamount of airtime purchased.

Virgin Mobile< http://www.virginmobileusa.com >Richard Branson, who may be the world's coolestentrepreneur, has put the Virgin logo on everything frommusic to soft drinks to train service and airlines. For thelast couple of years he's been building a market for mobiletelephone service with cachet - and has now brought his actto the U.S.Virgin is offering two prepaid packages with names like"Party Animal" and "Supermodel." The only difference betweenthem are the models of Kyocera phone. They also include $10in airtime and access to "Virgin Xtras" -- through apartnership with VH1 and MTV, you can get music news, checkshow listings and vote for favorite songs and videos rightover your phone. (This kind of cross-promotion makes sensefor a corporation that still earns quite a bit of revenuefrom the music industry, and should have wide appeal toteenagers and young adults).Virgin Mobile is on Sprint's nationwide network, so coverageis pretty good in the areas where the service is offered.Rates are good too, and refreshingly simple: 25 cents aminute for the first 10 minutes, after which it drops tojust 10 cents. This rate holds throughout the U.S.

andapplies whether you've paid for a $10 voucher or a $50voucher - it's all the same. This is one to watch.There may be other companies currently offering prepaidservice and it is certain that others will enter the marketafter the publication of this article.The thing to remember with prepaid plans is that if you dochoose to go this route, your airtime will cost you more perminute than if you go with a standard contract plan. It ispossible that rates could come down as the field becomesmore competitive -- but right now, if your credit is goodand you can afford a 12 to 24 month commitment, a standardplan will be the best one for your budget.In part 3, we'll look at some of the new phones on themarket and which features may make the most sense for you..

Those who were fortunate enough to get in early no doubtmade some money with the program - but no one made MOREmoney than its originator, Gary White.When I decided to write this article, I did some researchon Cookie Cutter, and what I discovered was intriguing.For example, I did a Google search on the term "CookieCutter" and I had to go to Page 4 before I found anyreference to it whatsoever. It was actually a link toa disclaimer put on the "Beginner's Central" website thatwas used in Cookie Cutter's Bootcamp product.http://www.northernwebs.com/bc/Another search on "Gary White" found nothing to referencethe once-famous originator of the Cookie Cutter programin the first ten pages. I chose not to go any further.But then I did a search on "This Dumb Little Ad" -THAT got some results. Never underestimate the power ofa unique headline.Naturally that led me to many pages which were no longeractive. This prompted me to do a WHOIS search on thedomain name of the duplicated pages that were used inthe program.Many of you will be interested in learning that the domainname cc-pages.com expired on March 5 of this year.

Looks like Gary White is out of business. I do recall that he tried to parlay his success with Cookie Cutter into a similar program, but apparently he was unsuccessful.By that time, most everyone had caught on..