4.26.1998

Out of Necessity...
Northeast Mississippi Business Digest

OXFORD, MS - Started by two Ole Miss students in their dorm room, Security Check, a collection and verification company, is setting standards in the industry. Security Check already boasts a database of more than three million names of bad check writers. William Alias III and John Lewis started this small business which is now reaping results.

Businesses over a 10-state area are willing to secure the services of Security Check because clients don't have the time or manpower to follow up with customers for collection on bad checks. Security Check normally will collect 60 to 80 percent of the checks they receive. By providing an objective party for collection of returned checks, they insulate their clients from the sensitive customer relations involved in the process.

Security Check collects a service fee along with the original amount of the check from the check writers, and then, most importantly, fully reimburses the amount of the check to the business owner.

One of the notable factors of the success of Security Check has come from its association with a national database, the National Check Network, located in New Mexico. Not only does it provide Security Check with a crucial database in which to record the returned checks, it also provides clients with the ability to run checks immediately through a simple verification system at the register and then rejects the check - allowing the client to decline the check at the point of sale.

In 1995, Alias and Lewis had enough business to move into a house, purchase one computer, and open an office in the extra bedroom. They attended classes in the morning, sold their concept to merchants and businesses in the afternoon, and collected against the checks from 6 to 9 p.m. each evening.

By the summer of 1996, Security Check had four collectors, including themselves, and were beginning to collect several hundred checks a month. Alias' father, William Alias, Jr., moved to Oxford from Atlanta to contribute his business experience and financial support to the thriving company, as he sensed the unlimited potential in the growth of Security Check.

"The three of us immediately began a major strategic plan for the future of Security Check that not only proved to project accurately their rapid growth, but also laid the groundwork for long-term success," said Mr. Alias.

Security Check www.securitycheckllc.com is a privately owned and operated company that offers a full range of payment and customized process solutions. By offering their clients a customized payment solution, Security Check has been able to develop new products that will enable their clients business to grow.