Posted by Mark Brousseau
Someone alert the scanner manufacturers ...
City man uses toilet-paper check to try to settle water-bill dispute
By John HillPress & Sun-Bulletin
BINGHAMTON -- A Binghamton man was escorted out of the county office building Wednesday after he tried to pay his water bill with a check -- neatly written on three squares of floral print, two-ply toilet paper.
North Side resident Ron Borgna has been wrangling with the City of Binghamton for 17 months over an outstanding water bill. That, plus a recently proposed 42 percent hike in city water rates, led Borgna to write a check for $2,509.66 on toilet paper to demonstrate his disgust with the water department.
The disagreement began with a $422.90 water bill Borgna received in September 2006. The amount was about four times Borgna's normal bill.
Borgna's water meter and plumbing were tested, but no problem could be discovered. The meter was over-registering by 1 percent, but city regulations allow a water meter to register between 98.5 and 101.5 percent of actual water usage.
City officials said that because his meter was within the legal limits, Borgna would have to pay the bill.
Borgna, who plans to appeal a judgment against him earlier this month in small claims court, said he decided to pay the bill, which now includes subsequent bills and late fees, to avoid property tax problems. After a year, outstanding city water bills are transferred to a homeowner's property tax bill, which is collected by Broome County.
So Borgna brought the toilet-paper check, along with a bank statement proving he had the money in his account, to the county Office of Real Property Tax Services Wednesday afternoon to pay the bill.
After Real Property Tax Services Director Kevin P. Keough refused to accept the homemade check, he took Borgna to the county legal department. There, Broome County attorney Robert Behnke also said the county would not accept the check.
An argument that ensued in the sixth-floor county law office grew testy but involved no physical confrontation. It ended with Borgna being peacefully escorted out of the building by a Broome Security officer.
Bill Ullmann, an attorney with the Federal Reserve Bank in Kansas City, said the IRS has in the past accepted a check written on a T-shirt as payment for a tax bill. But, because toilet paper is easily destroyed, it may have been difficult to clear the check.
"I can understand why someone would be hesitant to accept a check written on toilet paper," Ullmann said.
Borgna said he may try to pay the $2,509.66 -- for the original bill, late fees and subsequent water and sewer bills -- with change.
"I don't know where I'm going to get $2,000 in nickels and dimes," Borgna said.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Small Banks Seek Lockbox Solutions
By Mark Brousseau
Demand from community and mid-sized banks for image-based lockbox solutions is on the upswing, says Bob Pangrac (rpangrac@creditron.com), national account manager for bank lockbox providers at Creditron. The reason? Smaller banks are looking to defend their commercial account base from large “national banks,” which Pangrac says are now showing up in regional and small markets with cash management services such as wholesale and retail lockbox processing.
“Previously, the cost of an image-based payments solution was cost-prohibitive for a smaller financial institution,” Pangrac told me. “With the introduction of Microsoft-based solutions, smaller banks can now afford a solution that will provide new revenue streams for the bank.”
But why not outsource?
One reason is that banks can keep more of the revenue from their lockbox services, Pangrac said. Another factor is that in-house systems offer better cost-controls than outsourced providers. Finally, in-house systems allow banks to clear exceptions “as they happen” or at the end of the day, rather than waiting for them to arrive from the outsource provider. “With an in-house system, exceptions can be handled the same processing day, benefiting the bank and the bank’s customer – retail or commercial – alike,” he explained.
As an example, Pangrac recounts the story of a $250 million bank that sensed that they were experiencing holdover with their lockbox provider. “By bringing their lockbox processing in-house, they seldom have holdover, which translates into more efficient customer service, deposit management, and cash management. The bank can also handle their ‘on-us’ accounts, such as the bank-branded Visa card, and their home and car loans,” Pangrac said.
So what functions are smaller banks looking for in image-based lockbox systems? Pangrac said ease of use tops the list, followed by ease of account setup, an R&D path for electronic payments, and the ability for customers to research items and receive invoices via the Web.
Are you a small bank that has successfully deployed an image-based lockbox solution? E-mail me at m_brousseau@msn.com.
Demand from community and mid-sized banks for image-based lockbox solutions is on the upswing, says Bob Pangrac (rpangrac@creditron.com), national account manager for bank lockbox providers at Creditron. The reason? Smaller banks are looking to defend their commercial account base from large “national banks,” which Pangrac says are now showing up in regional and small markets with cash management services such as wholesale and retail lockbox processing.
“Previously, the cost of an image-based payments solution was cost-prohibitive for a smaller financial institution,” Pangrac told me. “With the introduction of Microsoft-based solutions, smaller banks can now afford a solution that will provide new revenue streams for the bank.”
But why not outsource?
One reason is that banks can keep more of the revenue from their lockbox services, Pangrac said. Another factor is that in-house systems offer better cost-controls than outsourced providers. Finally, in-house systems allow banks to clear exceptions “as they happen” or at the end of the day, rather than waiting for them to arrive from the outsource provider. “With an in-house system, exceptions can be handled the same processing day, benefiting the bank and the bank’s customer – retail or commercial – alike,” he explained.
As an example, Pangrac recounts the story of a $250 million bank that sensed that they were experiencing holdover with their lockbox provider. “By bringing their lockbox processing in-house, they seldom have holdover, which translates into more efficient customer service, deposit management, and cash management. The bank can also handle their ‘on-us’ accounts, such as the bank-branded Visa card, and their home and car loans,” Pangrac said.
So what functions are smaller banks looking for in image-based lockbox systems? Pangrac said ease of use tops the list, followed by ease of account setup, an R&D path for electronic payments, and the ability for customers to research items and receive invoices via the Web.
Are you a small bank that has successfully deployed an image-based lockbox solution? E-mail me at m_brousseau@msn.com.
Using Credit Cards For Traffic Fines
Posted by Mark Brousseau
An interesting article in today's York Daily Record:
Credit card payments taking off
By EUGENE PAIK
Daily Record/Sunday News
About three months since they were first accepted, credit card payments at District Justice Richard E. Martin's office [in York, PA] have surged in popularity.
“Not a day goes by when there aren't credit card sales,” said Patty Albright, Martin's office manager.
She said $3,130 in January was paid with credit, which includes the 3 percent fee added to each credit card transaction. In February, it was $5,450, she said.
So far this month, there has been about $2,500 paid with credit cards.
In December, the county began accepting credit cards at Martin's office to address increasing demands for credit payments at some district justice offices.
“It’s mostly citizens who have traffic citations who ask to pay by credit card,” said Freya Sponseller, manager for District Justice Dwayne A. Dubs’ office in Hanover, where credit card payments are expected to be implemented in mid-April.
Despite the demand, the county resisted providing the service because it had trouble finding a provider that would not charge the county.
The 3 percent fee prevents taxpayers from paying for operating costs.
Martin's office accepts MasterCard and Visa, and it uses a swipe format similar to machines found in grocery stores, restaurants and shops.
The results were better than the office imagined, Albright said, even though clerks were uncertain if people were open to paying the added charge. Most have been willing to pay more money for the convenience of credit, she said.
As planned, the payment system will expand to five other district justice offices in the county.
The offices of Dubs and district justices Linda L. Williams, Nancy L. Edie, Scott J. Gross and Harold D. Kessler are slated to accept credit card payments in mid-April, York County Treasurer Barbara Bair said.
Further expansion is uncertain at this point, she said.
An interesting article in today's York Daily Record:
Credit card payments taking off
By EUGENE PAIK
Daily Record/Sunday News
About three months since they were first accepted, credit card payments at District Justice Richard E. Martin's office [in York, PA] have surged in popularity.
“Not a day goes by when there aren't credit card sales,” said Patty Albright, Martin's office manager.
She said $3,130 in January was paid with credit, which includes the 3 percent fee added to each credit card transaction. In February, it was $5,450, she said.
So far this month, there has been about $2,500 paid with credit cards.
In December, the county began accepting credit cards at Martin's office to address increasing demands for credit payments at some district justice offices.
“It’s mostly citizens who have traffic citations who ask to pay by credit card,” said Freya Sponseller, manager for District Justice Dwayne A. Dubs’ office in Hanover, where credit card payments are expected to be implemented in mid-April.
Despite the demand, the county resisted providing the service because it had trouble finding a provider that would not charge the county.
The 3 percent fee prevents taxpayers from paying for operating costs.
Martin's office accepts MasterCard and Visa, and it uses a swipe format similar to machines found in grocery stores, restaurants and shops.
The results were better than the office imagined, Albright said, even though clerks were uncertain if people were open to paying the added charge. Most have been willing to pay more money for the convenience of credit, she said.
As planned, the payment system will expand to five other district justice offices in the county.
The offices of Dubs and district justices Linda L. Williams, Nancy L. Edie, Scott J. Gross and Harold D. Kessler are slated to accept credit card payments in mid-April, York County Treasurer Barbara Bair said.
Further expansion is uncertain at this point, she said.
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