Commissioners authorize WesBanco's positive-pay service to reduce check-fraud risk

At the May 12 meeting the Lawrence County commissioners approved an agreement with WesBanco to implement a positive-pay service for county checking accounts.

Jim Vicious and colleagues from WesBanco explained how the service works: the county sends daily issued-check data (check number, date, payee and amount) to the bank; as incoming checks present for payment, the bank compares them to the issued list and notifies the county of mismatches so they can be denied before clearing. Vicious said the fee is a flat $95 per month per account and emphasized the tool's potential to reduce losses caused by stolen and altered ("washed") checks.

Controller and treasurer representatives recounted recent incidents where stale or previously stopped checks later presented for payment, creating administrative burden. The controller said positive-pay would likely be cheaper than the costs associated with chasing and replacing checks.

The board approved the York/WesBanco program by roll call (resolution 94). The controller and finance staff will coordinate account enrollment and monitoring.