CertifiChecks, the Evanston check provider files bankruptcy



The Evanston Chamber of Commerce announced Monday that CertifiChecks of Dayton Ohio, the third party provider for the Evanston Chamber Check program, has announced chapter seven bankruptcy, citing the sagging national economy as the primary force behind the action.

Some issued checks are being returned unpaid and participating merchants in Evanston are urged not to accept any of the CertifiChecks issued checks.

This news comes as a surprise to the Evanston Chamber of Commerce and the hundreds of other Chambers of Commerce throughout the United States that have for many years used CertifiChecks for such programs.

“We honestly didn’t see this coming”, said Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Summer Meagher. “I found out due to a completely separate alert notice and not directly from CertifiChecks.”

In light of these events, the Evanston Chamber of Commerce is asking that all businesses and individuals currently in possession of Chamber Checks return them to the chamber as soon as possible.

Employees having received Chamber Checks through their employer should return any checks in their possession back to their employers.

Employers are then asked to return the gathered Chamber Checks to the chamber office as soon as possible.

All participating merchants should stop accepting Chamber Checks as payment for goods and services effective immediately.

In addition, any participating merchant currently in possession of Chamber Checks as a result of payment for good or services are asked to avoid depositing these checks directly into their bank and instead return the Chamber Checks to the chamber office.

In the event a merchant receives a chamber check returned from the bank, please bring it to the chamber office as well.

The Evanston Chamber of Commerce will continue to gather all CertifiChecks-issued chamber checks through March 20 to submit as a claim against CertifiChecks.

Please be assured that the Evanston Chamber of Commerce is taking active measures to ensure the interests of all those affected by the recent events surrounding CertifiChecks.

In the meantime, the chamber will begin the process of implementing its own, internally controlled program of the same nature in the coming weeks to replace the now defunct CertifiChecks vendor.

The new system will work in the same manner but will be controlled solely by the Evanston Chamber of Commerce and without third-party participation.

The Chamber Check program replaced the old Chamber Buck program in the spring of 2008 as a means to streamline the turnover of certificates and allow merchants to deposit the certificates directly with their banks in an effort to eliminate the necessity of first redeeming the certificates at the chamber office.

The Evanston Chamber Buck and Chamber Check programs have made it possible to keep hundreds of thousands of dollars working within the local economy each year by encouraging participants to shop at home.

The Evanston Chamber of Commerce regrets any inconvenience this may cause and asks for your patience as it continues to work to resolve this issue to the full satisfaction of its participating members and merchants. Should you have any further questions please call the chamber office at 783-0370 or stop by at 1020 Front Street.