i will like to know whether their are firms that offer services such
as check verification online in real time?if such firms exist please i
will like to have their web addresses.thank you.

Hi Tony,

You?ll be glad to know there are indeed companies that offer real time
check verification and other services online.  I?ll list (in
alphabetical order) the ones I found that don?t appear to require any
special equipment such as check readers or scanners, although do keep
in mind that some will require software such as a web shopping cart,
or a standalone program like a virtual terminal in order to use. 
These also appear to be easiest and/or most cost effective to work
with.

=================================
AUTOMATED FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS 
=================================
This company says it goes beyond simple check verification to include
data not previously used in the check verification process, such as
the status of a checking account with regard to available funds.  In
addition to the usual comparing of a check against databases of known
bad checks,  their ?ATMVerify? service real time, online inquiries
return the following results:

--Validates
--NSF
--Uncollected Funds
--Account Not Located
--Stop Payment
--Non-Participant
--Attached 

Unfortunately, they do not provide pricing information on their
website (for the online check verification service ? only for paper
services), but you can read about their company on the main website,
here:
http://www.advancedpay.com/ , check out their ?ATMVerify? service, here: 
http://www.advancedpay.com/ach.html  (*Note: if the link doesn?t open
directly to the ATMVerify page, you might need to click on the link at
the left hand side of the page), and if you?re interested, you can
fill out a short contact form for more information, here:
http://www.advancedpay.com/ach/contact_us.html 


=================================
 eCheck2000
=================================
This company makes use of the ?Star Chek? system described below, but
also makes use of other, additional sources. They say, ? Our
first-class verification system has no rival in the Internet industry.
Most e-Checks systems offer Merchants very little help in verifying
the identify of the customer. When a customer enters his or her
information, all of the verification criteria selected by the Merchant
are automatically checked online and "Scored". If the total meets the
score defined by the Merchant, the payment will be authorized and
initiated. If the total does not meet the score, the customer will be
told the payment cannot be authorized, and the payment will be
declined and an alternative payment form requested.?  They go on to
list the main components of their system, which include:

--eftPRO Internal Database. 
--StarChek validation
--Certgy verification
--Identify customers with bad check history
--Authentication of the customer

You can read more information about their service, here: 
http://www.echeck2000.com/verification.html and here: 
http://www.echeck2000.com/authenticate_verify.htm 

Also, as with some other service providers, ?eCheck2000? does not
offer up-front pricing, but apparently tailors each package to the
customer.  Here is a page with some basic information about their
pricing strategy, and also an ?800? number to call for more
information and/or to apply:  http://www.echeck2000.com/pricing.htm


======================================
ECHO (Electronic Clearing House, Inc.)
======================================
This is the parent company used by a number of other merchant services
companies, but they offer their own accounts and a pricing structure
that may or may not be more attractive than some of their affiliates. 
They have a $99 setup fee (which can be waived if you?re switching
from another company), a $19.95 monthly fee (waived in months where
there is no activity), and a $.15 per item fee.  They state:

   -Express Verification? lets you verify a check in real time.  
   -Fast and inexpensive precaution at the point of sale or over the 
    Internet. 
   -More likely to identify problem check writers than competing 
    services.   
   -Uses the National Check Network® (NCN®) database containing 120 million  
    checking accounts. 
   -Identifies negative data (accounts with unpaid returned checks). 
   -Descriptive responses right on your point-of-sale terminal explain problems  
    or warnings, if any. 
   -High check volume is flagged to identify potential fraud accounts (data  
    indicating unusual/suspicious use of account).    
   -Easy for you and your staff to learn and use.  

You can find their homepage here:
http://www.echo-inc.com/ and the page with information specifically
about check verification services is here:
http://www.echo-inc.com/check_services_xpress_verif.html  and if you?d
like to see a complete price list, you can find that here: 
http://www.echo-inc.com/pricelist.html

============================
INFO MERCHANT
============================
This company offers a host of merchant services in almost any
configuration you can imagine.  I would think you?d certainly be able
to put together a package from their many offerings.  Among others,
they do indeed offer check verification service (certified by ECHO as
listed above), online and in realtime, using internet gateway
technology.  The fees seem reasonable, with a $99 setup and $10 per
month with $.20 per transaction and no other hidden fees.  They also
say you won?t be charged in any month there is no activity.  Here?s
their page for check verification:
http://www.infomerchant.net/checkprocessing/check_verification.html 
and the pricing is here:
http://www.infomerchant.net/creditcardprocessing/prices/check-verification-prices.html
 If you?re interested in any of their other services, their homepage
is here:
http://www.infomerchant.net/index.html 

============================
STAR CHEK
============================
This is a joint project with Primary Payment Systems, Inc.  and
Concord EFS.  They state that  ?STAR CHEK? enables retailers to route
check verifications, online via the STAR Network, to the PPS database.
Using STAR CHEK, a retailer can ascertain - virtually in real time -
whether a check is likely to be returned. A retailer electronically
transmits the magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) information -
obtained from the bottom of a paper check, along with the transaction
details, via STAR to the PPS database, which responds with a message
on the status of the account. Online verification is completed in
seconds, without any disruption or changes to the check-out processes
or settlement flow of the transaction.?

-- Star Chek information:   
   http://www.concordefs.com/product_sheet/index.cfm?sheet=star_chek 
-- PPS Homepage: http://www.primarypayments.com/ 
-- Concord EFS Homepage: http://www.concordefs.com/default.htm 

************************************************************************

I hope this is the kind of information you were looking for.  If not,
or if anything isn?t clear, please use the ?Request Clarification?
feature to ask before rating and closing the question so I can be sure
you have what you need.  Also, should you want a larger selection of
companies than I?ve provided here, you may use the search terms
detailed below to continue looking for additional companies, though it
seems that most of them do use the same basic service providers.  Good
luck in your business.

Best wishes,
Byrd

Search terms used: 
["real time" online "check verification"]
[?real time? online ?check verification? OR ?check guarantee?]
[?real time? online ?merchant services?]

---

Request for Answer Clarification by tony22-ga on 26 Jan 2004 02:04 PST

what i require is a firm that provide real-time online verification of
checks similar to the services provided by betterchecks.

---

Clarification of Answer by byrd-ga on 26 Jan 2004 07:30 PST

Hello Tony,

I'm sorry you were not pleased with the resources provided in my
answer. Your original question did not mention this other company,
"betterchecks," so I was, of course, unable to compare the services I
located with theirs.  However, I am unable to find any reference to
this company, "betterchecks."  See these search returns:

://www.google.com/search?num=20&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=off&q=betterchecks&btnG=Google+Search

://www.google.com/search?num=20&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=off&q=betterchecks+check+verification&btnG=Google+Search

://www.google.com/search?num=20&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=off&q=%22check+verification%22+betterchecks+OR+%22better+checks%22+&btnG=Google+Search

If you could provide a web address for this company, I'd be glad to
check it out and compare its services to other online check
verification services. If not, and you are still dissatisfied, I could
ask the Editors to remove my answer so   that perhaps another
Researcher could assist you.

Thanks,
Byrd

Tony,

Check verification services essentially fall into 3 categories:

1) Negative info databases like NCN. These offer info on a check
writer only if they have recently "written" a bad check to a business
that contributes info to the database.

2) Personal information verification. Experian Level 1,2 is an
example. This database can check known addresses and ss#.

3) Star Check: Real time "ping" of the ATM network database.
Contributer's to this database include tier one and two banks.
Currently over a
200 million accounts. You can probably expect a 50% "hit rate". Some
companies offer different "levels " of this service. While some
processors or providers can only tell you if the account is in the
network (valid bank account #) and has a positive funds balance others
tell you if the account has pending NSF's or stop payments.

For additional info http://www.ach-payments.com/check-verification.htm

Wayne