European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 13, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 8 the stars and stripes t. Here s checkout on Amelco s new checks by Mark Danilin Gerstoff writer Frankfurt is the american express co. Military banking setup has moved to computerized checking services but there s still a human fac Tor in the operation. There Are going to be errors and we re taking nothing lightly Richard Stuart vice presi Dent of american express inter National banking said Here i commenting on the big change Over to s Frankfurt computer Center recently was established to handle the thousands of Mili tary accounts with an Eye to improved operations. New checks bearing a magnetic Ink account code and other information have been phase Din with customers in Munich Fuerth and Berlin areas thelast to be switched Over presently receiving or due to receive their new Type Check books. A three month overlap period is being allowed to put the latest areas under the centralized computer operation Here. People have been cooperative and understanding for the most part in aiding in the changeover Stuart said. This involves promptly picking up the new Check books As soon As they Are available and immediately destroying the old books. Old Type checks which Are still being accepted Are a very important one eighth Inch Shorter than the new checks Stuart explained in an interview an old Type Check is received at the Frankfurt computer enter a Dummy document of the proper new size must be prepared by a clerk so it can be fed into the computer. How Ever the old checks Are still valid and should be accepted wherever presented. Because of some confusion related to the new checking account procedure Stuart an Dieter Seifert banking Man Ager for the Amelco International banking division offered these replies to questions submitted by the stars and stripes question what about pay checks deposited directly to an account by the customer s Mili tary finance office or employer answer the human Factor is present Here because Dum my document Deposit slip must necessarily be made. These persons who have had paycheck regularly deposited with Ameri can express need not make an changes since the old account number has already been converted to the new at the com Puter Center. Q exactly what elements of the Long string of magnetic Ink numbers on the Bottom of the new checks Are the actual account number what Are the figures before and after the account number a the first Symbol starts the Frankfurt computer in its task and the first digit tells the machine what is being handled an 8 is a Check a 3 is a Deposit the next two digits Tell which american express military Bank ing facility the Check is from 01 is Frankfurt for instance the next digit tells what kind of account is involved checking the next five digits Are the actual account number the customer should use the first nine digits As his account num Ber the next digit is s self checking digit which make sure the previous numbers Are correctly read and the last digit a 3shows the Check is from a military banking facility. The final Symbol in this series tells the machine to Stop. Q Why Are checks no longer numbered serially a most stateside Banks no longer offer numbered checks because modern banking machines do not make use of the Check number when state ments Are prepared. Older machines also printed the Check number. Amelco advises that custom ers who want numbered checks simply number them and the corresponding stub themselves. Q How Long will it take Roget a new Supply of checks a the average military ban customer writes about five checks a month. Each new Check Book has 20 Blank checks along with Deposit slips and a reorder Normand therefore would nor Mally last several months. The for Clearing House use denotes military banking office Check digit for previous number 5-digit account number tells if checking or saving account Branch office number denotes whether debit or credit reorder form May be submitted to the local military banking office at any time then will be forwarded Dally by German mail to the Frankfurt computer Cen Ter. At Frankfurt machines will prepare two new Checkbox Esthe Day of or after receipt of the reorder form a control Checkis run on the computers every Day to see that All work i cleaned up and the two new Check books will be sent via Ger Man mail to the customer s banking facility that office then having a Check Book available for Issue within 4 to 5 Days barring weekends and holidays. Thus there should always be Reserve Check books on hand. Q what about joint accounts where husband and wife each want a Check Book a the initial Issue to each banking facility for each account Holder was and is two books one As a Reserve forthe customer. Joint account holders can request both boo sat once then submit a reorder slip insuring that Che clerk Marks it joint account in order that replacements Issue Dat Frankfurt Are of the proper number. Q do All Amelco offices have equipment to encode so called counter checks a no Only the Frankfurt computer Center has the equip ment. Therefore under present conditions a clerk in Frankfurt must look up the writer s account number and imprint it with the magnetic Ink a time consuming task. Q Why Don t the cards that were issued giving your new account number also give you name How is anyone to know he has received the right account number a issuing offices were directed to provide the customer s name on the new account num Ber card by address graph plate or other Means. If there Are any cases where this was not done we d like to know Stuart said. Q Are checks debited solely by magnetic numbers regard less of the signature what happens if some checks Are lost or stolen a the human Factor is still present Here a clerk visually checks signatures against the signature card. If a thief or Check Book finder writes a phoney Check he is liable to forgery or counterfeiting prose cution As has always Bee the Case. Q under the old system begot our statements an average of two or three weeks after the period closed. How Long will it take to get them under the new one a Many persons do not real ize that statements Are not issued As of the end of the month. The cutoff for one Cus Tomer might be the 10th, and the 20th for another. Statements will now be printed at the Frank Furt computer Center at the proper cutoff Date and will be sent via German mail to the customer s own banking facility to allow another human fac Tor in the operation. The local facility then will Send on or otherwise Issue the statements putting people Between the Cus Tomer and the should be in the hands of a customer within 4to 5 Days of the cutoff Date de pending on the Speed of local distribution facilities. Q How docs one go about closing an account a a notice on each new monthly statement will con stantly remind customers that24 hours notification is re Quested on intentions to Dos accounts. The local Bank will phone the request to Frankfurt to allow the computer to pre pare an up to Date account statement which is then Avail Able to the local banking facility to accomplish closeouts answering a complaint that the new Check books Are not As read ily available As they should be Stuart stated that it s in our own interest to get the new checks issued and we certainly Aren t trying to keep them out of anybody s 837 010 359 637 473 526 937 648 380 437 593 827 539 307 259 837 010 359 637 473 526 937 648 380 437 593 827 539 307 259 183 489 457 359 567 451 457 583 947 457 936 147 258 957 3j7 cds3 in 9t computerisation great s 2s s i by Mary nets a Femina editor Darmstadt Germany is everyone knows that computers Are vastly Superior to fallible human be Ings. Therefore it s no Surprise that the american express International banking corporation is pleased about its new completely computerized accounting system. Perhaps you be already received Aletter from Amelco addressed to dear account Holder if you Haven you soon will. It tells you that your account is to be posted solely by com Puter you la have a new 9-digit num Berand that you should immediately destroy All those old checks As soon As the first new Batch is i your Possession. This new system will provide More efficient service to our clientele says paragraph i of the Friendly letter. Well i was one of the Lucky ones i got in on the new system right atthe very Start. In fact i thought they d made a mistake when i got that with All the numbers and had Given me someone else s , no said the woman at the banking window this is right we Rejust changing Over to a new that s exactly what she told me. Thenice letter came later. Then i discovered i was out of checks absolutely out. So on my lunch hour i whipped up to the local american express where i have my account and asked for a new woman at the window beamed and i see you re Down to your Las Check she noted. Well never fear we realized that people Are that Way they let things go so when we gave you your first new we kept an extra one Here. It s right Here filed by numbering this cardboard Box. You know it Ajces up to three weeks now to order a new Book ill place your order now for the pretty Nice would t you think that they re so thoughtful i did t know you had to order Check books so Farin Advance and it would have been pretty terrible to have had to All it was the first of the month and All my Bills were , everyone smiled and she started looking through the Box. My other new Check Book was t in it or the next Box or the next Box or another dragged up from another room. The Nice woman was getting a bit snappish. There was a Long line by now at the step out of the line she said. Ill have to take care of these other people then come Back to you. Are you sure you did t pick up that other new Book already said asked not i retorted. I d like a new Check Book said had in the meantime the woman come Back to me. I d suggest you drop by tomorrow g she said or maybe the next Day. Maybe Well have found it by then. 8 look i m late Back to work now and i have to have a Check Book. Can you ask the Bank manager Wanai i m supposed to do. She did. He says you absolutely can t have any other kind of Book i a Lin can Fucina 01 us the sergeant who took my place at you have to have the numbered one. The window. Have a lust have to keep ii you re the first two people we Haven t been Able to bet we re the first two to have asked growled the this time three More Bank girls had flocked to the boxes containing the computerized books and were in whispered , i think maybe someone has been giving out the wrong books to the window. We just have of course said the woman beam ing once More. What about me said the sergeant j the search began again. Your wife probably already Pic Job hum she said after a while up the new one said the american " be Don t seem to have yours express . N a 1 of it a not he said. Shes sit Ting right Here 1it a ended by the woman telling us not to get upset. You can write a Blank Check Here at the window. And Send your Bills by postal Money 5 order she noted. 17 581 450 357 593 057 258 415 240 049 857 471 451 950 927 937 581 450 357 593 057 258 415 and you will get new chec books. Don t worry. Sometimes we Gei them in lust a week but of course use i m docks it could fake three ," said of of the girls a bit in t computerization great too audibly. This is going to be a . The Check Book arrived a Ween Preal mess/1 later j 240 049857471 451950937 183489457 350507491 457 583 047 457 936 147 258957
