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Citizens
Bank Fights Signature Fraud with ImageCentre!
Citizens
Bank of Americus is a progressive community Bank located in southwest
Georgia. Americus the city is well known by many as the corporate
headquarters for Habitat for Humanity, International, a non-profit
organization that brings families and communities in need together with
volunteers and resources to build decent, affordable housing.
Citizens
Bank implemented ImageCentre check imaging from BankWare in March of
2001 to automate and streamline item processing, statement processing,
and research for the Bank. In addition to improving customer service,
Citizens Bank has also become one of the first and only financial
institutions in the nation to automate their signature verification
process.
“Imaging
technology represents a tremendously beneficial platform for both our
customers and the Bank,” states Danny Adkins, senior vice president.
“While imaging technology is not new, we were drawn to the
possibilities of some recent advancements.”
Historically,
Citizens Bank and most community banks have manually compared signatures
on checks to a signature(s) from other documents, including signature
cards. Imaging technology provides the first step in automating this
process with the ability to quickly and easily present an image of a
check, and then subsequently present the image of the customer’s
signature, for a manual review, verification, and validation process.
ImageCentre’s
Automated Signature Verification System takes a major leap forward in
automating the review, verification, and validation process. With
ImageCentre, the entire signature verification process can be performed
electronically utilizing recognition technology to detect, read,
identify, compare, and make decisions for signature review.
If
during the electronic image review process an item is suspect, missing a
signature, or if the signature falls below the Bank’s defined
confidence threshold, the image of the item is presented for operator
review (which is typically performed during non-mission critical times
of day.)
“ImageCentre’s
Automated Signature Verification System is a tremendous leap in
technology,” says Danny. “The system is user-friendly and is a vast
improvement over the traditional paper-based and manual image based
signature verification systems. We believe the implementation of this
technology is a tremendous deterrent to fraud and signature
falsifications.”
ImageCentre’s
Automated Signature Verification System automates and streamlines the
labor-intensive and burdensome task of reviewing all items manually and
their associated signatures. Benefits of the system include reduced
fraudulent item processing, automated identification and verification of
accounts requiring multiple signatures, and automated identification of
items with missing signatures.
ImageCentre’s
Automated Signature Verification system also includes a comprehensive
reporting and results analysis system to provide operator and
administrator level information.
About
BankWare
BankWare,
based in Birmingham, AL, was formed in 1982 and is a privately held
company. In 1991, BankWare developed the industry’s first Image Proof
of Deposit system, which today is utilized by more than 600 financial
institutions throughout the US and internationally. BankWare also
provides platform automation to more than 200 financial institutions
throughout the US. BankWare can be found on the Internet at www.bankware.net.
About
ImageCentre
ImageCentre
was introduced to the financial services marketplace in November of
1999. Designed by Bankers, for Bankers, ImageCentre was developed with a
blank canvas to address the complete payment processing and document
storage/retrieval needs of the financial services industry. ImageCentre
is the financial industry’s first and only Internet Browser-based
check imaging, document imaging, remittance processing, and COLD
solution.
For
more information, contact Patrick Koster of BankWare at (205) 408-9998
ext. 224 or pkoster@bankware.net. |
