European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 4, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 8 the stars and stripes june checks and balances Check bouncing adds to banking costs from Page 1 a total of turned for insufficient funds that compares with in 1983 and in even with the higher vol ume of checks cashed in successive the dishonoured Check percentages continued to while just percent of the bad checks cashed at a a fes and military banking out lets in Europe were written those checks represented nearly million in last a a fes wrote off checks for a loss of american express failed to collect on checks valued at other Check cashing activities in Europe also experienced but they were much the main cause of losses is officials and fraud inevitably brings military criminal investigators onto the the 2nd army criminal investigation reports that in Cid agents in Europe investigated 154 worthless Check cases involving bad checks and so far in the Case Load is heavier than last from 1 to april Cid agents began investigations of 70 bad Check cases involving checks and Usa eur Check control which Monitor bad Check also report an increase in the use of dishonoured in the 43 cos in the command logged bad compared with in while Many of these were accounted for in cafes and military banking the figures confirm the trend toward an increasing number of bad in the penalty for cashing a bad Check at banking facilities was raised from to to cover rising the increase was in line with the in creased costs of handling returned said Scott the manager of american express military banking in some Banks in America now charge to to process a returned la a management analyst for the european come says the increase was directed by the defense department for military banking around the world to cover the additional costs of proc Essing returned i doubt that it has any value As a deter Hays people who Are going to write bad checks usually will do so and not worry about penalty banking officials blame the majority of their losses on the deliberate offender who recklessly writes checks with the intent to commit the people who cause our greatest losses Are those who figure out the system and defraud said Law of american sex they write a series of checks that then leave the go awol or simply they Are criminals and they ought to be behind they rip off the Bank and they increase the costs of banking for honest customers because their bad checks boost our operating bad checks cause Check cashing activities to lose in three ways the outright loss of Money from checks that Are not the loss of interest on Money from bad checks that financial institutions Are deprived of until checks Are made personnel costs for tracking and collecting of bad its not just the loss of Money that the problem with bad Law the considerable Effort and costs that go into the collection process on these checks is a secondary whenever there is a delay in the redemption of a bad the activity that cashed the Check Stefanie the custodian of the Frankfurt morale support says the fund loses on bad even if they Are made up that because bad checks deplete the fund which we have on Deposit in an inter est bearing Oliphant of the checks cashed by fund recreational Oliphant estimates that 10 to 15 a month fail to the pattern is similar at Check cashing activities throughout Europe As authorities tighten collection in the most bad checks Are re military banking statistics show that of the total of bad checks for the loss was and much of the redeemed express Europe returned checks in thousands 250 200 150 100 50 0 co pm Conj 1982 1983 1984 was paid off in a timely manner As of fenders acted to prevent a loss of Check cashing some cases where checks bounced by the Money was made up in a matter of Navy Check cashing facilities some times experience lengthy delays in collecting on bad checks because of the mobility of naval i think the Navy has More problems than the army and air Force because of the dispersal of its said Manuel Security manager for the Navy Exchange in when an aircraft Carrier Calls on a port and Crew members write bad it takes a lot of time and Effort to track them cafes statistics show that a higher percentage of bad checks is written at overseas outlets than in the United in rate of returned checks per military personnel is 43 percent higher than in the said an official at the Exchange european head quarters in intent to defraud can make writing bad Check a felony photo by Gui Schutlz Fly checks bounced by american express at if you deliberately write bad the military can sock it to regulatory tools empower commands to take harsh action against the military considers the issuance of worthless checks with intent to defraud a felony if the total amount of bad checks exceeds such felonies Are punishable by bad conduct discharges and up to five years in in cases that come to the intent of the Check writ or is in the army criminal investigation the naval investigative service and the air Force office of special investigation look into serious Check writing finance Check cashing activities and the Public Tell investigative agencies of such cases invariably involve a string of deliberately written bad checks and Many thousands or in a Case now under investigation in the United Dom by the Osi and the Nisi a service member and is wife Are being held for writing fraudulent checks that total about army Cid agents investigate the majority of the bad Check cases in recent cases handled by the Cid include Active duty military 16 checks for 21 checks for Active duty military 14 checks for Active duty military 18 checks for Active duty military 48 checks for investigators often experience a lag time from when a person begins writing worthless checks until it becomes apparent from the number and aggregate value of checks that a problem said a Cid spokesman at 2nd Region Headquarters in that time May exceed two even where there is no attempt to separate service regulations Call for Quick supervisory action in dealing with those who write worthless commands Are vested with the Power to discipline Chro Nic offenders who refuse to Clear up their bad Check in the dishonoured Check writing is monitored by Community Check control moral persuasion and command supervision will be used As primary measures to ensure that worthless checks Are promptly redeemed and dishonoured Check writ army regulation 21060 Hov