This all-inclusive OBP service will ensure that your customers get their monthly payments to you in a timely manner. Online payments are easy and convenient.  In fact, it’s likely that many of your customers are probably already using this simple method of payment for their other bills.

Please contact a sales rep today and start accepting credit card and ACH payments right away!

Not using UTA’s Online Bill Pay? Our engineers will create your customized “Online Bill Pay” site at no additional charge to you! Call us today at 800-759-6786 to take advantage of this outstanding value.

According to the company, the 2010 survey shows online banking, bill payment and e-bill usage continues to grow, and that the online bill payment population has changed significantly during the last decade. Between 2000 and 2010, the number of households that use online banking increased more than six-fold (to 72.5 million), and the number that use online bill payment increased nearly eight-fold (to 36.4 million).

During the course of the Consumer Billing and Payment Trends survey, online bill payment has been successful in moving into the mainstream. Currently, 72.5 million U.S. households, 80 percent of all households with Internet access, use online banking, while 36.4 million households, 40 percent of all households with Internet access, use online bill payment.

In 2002, more than half of online bill payers were between the ages of 35 and 54. In 2010, consumers age 21-34 made up 28 percent of online bill payers, consumers age 35-54 made up 48 percent, and consumers over age 55 made up a sizeable 24 percent of all online bill payers, underscoring the fact that the service is not only for the young.

Consumers of all income levels have embraced online bill payment as well. In 2002, middle-income consumers dominated use of the service, whereas, in 2010, more than a third of online bill payers had a yearly household income of less than $50,000. Usage among the highest Income brackets has grown as well. Among households with Internet access, online bill payment, both at financial institution websites and company (biller direct) websites has grown substantially during the last 10 years, with a corresponding reduction of paper checks. While other forms of payment have remained relatively stable as a percentage of overall bill payments, paper checks have declined from 61 percent of all payments in 2000 to 26 percent in 2010, while online bill payments have grown from 12 percent to 45 percent of all payments.

Electronic bills, or e-bills, which contain all the same information as paper bills but are delivered online, also appear to be catching on, perhaps due to technology that has made e-bills more visible within the online banking and bill payment service as well as increased efforts to educate consumers about the benefits. The number of consumers that receive an e-bill jumped nine percent between 2009 and 2010. Today, 33 percent of all consumers who pay a bill at their financial institution website also receive at least one e-bill there, up from 24 percent in 2009.

Newer technologies such as mobile banking and person-to-person payments are areas to watch over the next decade, and are already showing an adoption trajectory similar to online bill payment. In just two years, the number of mobile phone users who conducted one or more banking services via their mobile phone increased from 23 percent in 2008 to 30 percent in 2010. The number of mobile banking users who receive or pay bills via their mobile phone jumped from 18 percent in 2008 to 30 percent in the same time period. This is most likely due to the increasing adoption of smartphones.

The 2010 Consumer Billing and Payment Trends survey reflects the responses of 3029 consumers who were at least 21 years old and responsible for paying their households bills, and is representative of the habits of the 90.5 million households in the United States with Internet access.

For the ease and benefit of our clients, UTA forms will now be accessible directly through the R&R and ADP e-libraries.

Whereas before forms had to be downloaded from a separate location, often causing inefficiency and confusion, now there will be no need to leave the car deal or F&I papers while consummating a sale.

The necessary UTA forms will be right there in the e-libraries of both Reynolds & Reynolds and ADP, making life easier and more efficient for everyone.

This is just one of many ways that UTA plans to make payment processing a more seamless experience. Look for future blog posts that detail additional ways that UTA is leading the payment processing industry.

While we will be embarking soon upon a complete integration of the two companies’ websites into one, a landing page has been launched in the meantime that explains the merger, provides information on both companies, and displays what the new brand will look like.

You can visit the new landing page: http://utallc.net

Effective January, 2010, National Check Trust (NCT) merged with American Check Management (ACM) creating a financial services powerhouse known as United Tranz*Actions, LLC (UTA). This merger represents the coming together of two companies with the experience, expertise, and technology to become the national leader in both check guarantee and payment processing solutions.

Update 5/3/10: This post has been updated with the new logo.

[Note: This is the official press release that will be hitting the wires tomorrow announcing our merger with ACM to form United Tranz*Actions.]

National Check Trust, Inc. and American Check Management, Inc. two Leading Payment processing and Check Guarantee Companies announce merger to create one of the largest one stop solutions in the financial services market.

In January 2010 National Check Trust, Inc. (NCT) merged with – American Check Management, Inc. (ACM) another leader in check guarantee and payment processing solutions.

National Check Trust, Inc. (NCT), and American Check Management (ACM) united to create United Tranz*Actions, LLC. This merger represents the coming together of two companies with the expertise and technology to become the national leader in both check guarantee and payment processing solutions. The official name change will become effective on May 1, 2010.

National Check Trust, Inc. was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Miramar, Florida. According to ongoing Nilson reports it became the 6^th largest provider of check guarantee, with the highest average check amount in the country.  NCT specializes in the Automotive, Building, Heavy Equipment and Furniture industries nationwide.   “We are very excited about the opportunity to complement key growth areas within the company, optimizing our portfolio and provide sophisticated product development capabilities unmatched by any other service in the industry,” said Marty Halpern, CEO of National Check Trust.

American Check Management, founded in 1996, and headquartered in Miami, Florida provides payment processing and financial service solutions nationwide.  They are endorsed by the National Association of Credit Management (NACM) which is the largest premier source of education and support for credit and collections professionals.  “The NACM has over 19,000 members and we have enjoyed an exclusive relationship with them for the past 13 years,” said Dean Middleton, President of ACM. “This merger combines two successful companies to offer leading edge, cost effective payment solutions.”

United Tranz*Actions, LLC (UTA) headquartered in Miramar, Florida will offer current and future customers unparalleled customer service, technology and a dedication to explore new and innovative payment solutions for today’s environment.

For more information please contact: Jeanine Goodstein, 800-858-5256 ex. 208 or jgoodstein@nctinc.net

Here are the details:

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE:PAG), an international automotive retailer, today announced the opening of its new 19,300 square foot, state-of-the-art MINI dealership in Tempe, Arizona. The new franchise, awarded by MINI, represents the company’s second MINI dealership in the Phoenix market and its fourth in the United States. MINI of Tempe is situated on a three-and-a-half acre site in the Tempe Autoplex along Interstate 10 in Tempe, Arizona. The new dealership offers floor to ceiling windows, bold colors associated with the unique image of the MINI brand, innovative product displays, and 15 service bays. The company currently estimates this dealership will generate approximately $20 million in annualized revenue in its first year of operation.

To read the rest of the press release, click here. To learn more about Penske, click here.

To show our support of Haiti and its people during their most exigent time of need, NCT is encouraging every person who reads this to donate to the Haitian relief effort. The employees of NCT have joined together to contribute and we encourage our clients to do so as well.

And while there are a plethora of websites where you can donate to Haiti, this is the one that we have chosen to use: PlanUSA.com.

Here is more information about Plan USA, from their website:

Founded over 70 years ago, Plan is one of the oldest and largest international development agencies in the world. We work in 48 developing countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas and raise funds in 21 countries.

We are an independent, not-for-profit organization without political agenda or religious orientation.

…

Plan’s work is made possible thanks to nearly 1,100,000 people in 18 donor countries who support us by sponsoring a child as well as through donations from individuals, corporations and foundations, grants, and strategic partnerships with other organizations.

Several NCT employees are already looking into doing more than just sponsoring a child; they may actually adopt a child who has been orphaned as a result of the tragic earthquakes that have shaken this already troubled nation. While we know that not everyone can do this, we do at least encourage you to check out Plan USA give what you are able to give.

Please help the people of Haiti in their most dire time of need.

Recently, NCT founder and CEO Marty Halpern sat down to discuss his experience, his company, and the future of the check guarantee industry, with Jerod Morris, who is in charge of NCT’s online brand management. The transcript of their discussion is below:

Jerod Morris: Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today, Mr. Halpern.

Marty Halpern: Call me Marty, please.

JM:  Thank you, Marty. As we begin, why don’t you provide our readers with a quick background on yourself and NCT.

MH: Well, I was born in New York City and have lived here in South Florida since 1985. I am married with two teenage kids who keep my wife and I very busy.

JM:  Why did you choose Ft. Lauderdale, FL as the place you wanted to live?

MH: In 1993, when my wife and I decided to have children we chose Ft. Lauderdale as the place. It is family oriented and I knew that eventually, I wanted to move my company here.  We actually made the move in Sept. of 2001 to Miramar just west of Ft. Lauderdale.

JM: What led you to start your own business?

MH: I began my professional life in the check guarantee business as a salesman for a competitor.  I opened up a virgin territory in California in 1983 and later became a sales manager and was relocated to Miami from LA.  I was then promoted to National Sales Manager in 1985. After working for the firm for 5 years or so, issues with the owner started to arise. Mostly a difference of opinion on how to treat our customers. I decided after sometime and serious consideration that if he could succeed in this business, so can I. Fortunately, it has been a good ride, and we have a very nice company.

JM:  When did you actually start NCT?

MH: I founded NCT in 1991. Today we are a strong company of 130 people that focus on check guarantee and payment processing. After being in this business for over 28 years I can now say my idea of treating customers with first hand service and fair rates has been a success.  Our clients are loyal and will continue to do business with a company that appreciates them.

JM:  You mentioned payment solutions; let’s talk about that and the check guarantee industry. How has the use of checks changed over the last few years and what is your outlook for the next half decade or so?

MH: For well over ten years now, I have been hearing about the demise of checks, with the introduction of debit card and check cards. Although there certainly has been a reduction in checks as the primary form of payment I am confident the five-year forecast still has millions of people who prefer paying by check and especially in markets where there are large purchases.  NCT does most of its business in industries like automotive, building and heavy equipment for instance and in those environments we will continue to have a large and growing piece of the payment market.

Even as the younger generation has gone in the direction of credit and debit cards, via online shopping and other alternatives. I believe that the issues of credit, interest rates and credit lines shrinking, will bring back the use of checks in many other markets.

The payment processing industry is exciting and again has changed the landscape of the market. The movement of money will continue to grow with ACH payments, online billing alternatives, and the desire of many companies to go paperless. NCT has been researching and developing new products in this area, and I am very excited about the future.

JM: What effect has the economic downturn – and the U.S. government’s response to the downturn – had on you as a business owner, and on small- to medium-sized businesses in general?

MH: The global and domestic economy is obviously a concern for any business person trying to bring some sort of control to their operation.  There are policies and regulations that the U.S government is getting more involved in that will cause concerns for anyone trying to run a small to mid-size business.

Costs are continuing to increase throughout the marketplace. Issues such as health care, increases in taxes, and many other unknowns are causing companies to make changes to their day-to-day operations. Thus, driving revenue and making a profit, for many, is becoming more of a struggle.

Strategies to grow business has become even more challenging for many business owners because this is a time when controlling financials are affected by forces outside of their operations.

For the next five years, I believe many small to mid-size companies will have to be leaner and focus on efficiencies

JM: With so much uncertainty both in your industry and in the economy as a whole, what is your strategy for staying relevant and continuing to be successful?

MH: NCT’s strategy is to continue to focus on exciting payment process products that enhance our check guarantee business by introducing more innovation in how we service our merchant base.

Additionally, we have been focusing outside our niche target market and expanding the spectrum of industries and types of companies that we service. So far, I believe that we have done an excellent job understanding their needs and how we can continue to grow our clients’ profits. I am excited about this expansion into new industries and our ability to introduce NCT products and culture to an ever-expanding list of companies.

JM: Obviously one of the reasons NCT has been so successful has been your company’s ability to increase efficiencies and profits for your clients. What about NCT’s internal operations have led to your company being such a driver of efficiency and profit for others?

MH: NCT is an organization that has always been concerned with productivity and maximizing the efficiency with which we run our business. We spend time and money to develop managers throughout our company who will run their departments effectively. We have a lean, productive staff that has the desire to work hard in servicing customers and looking out for NCT’s bottom line.

Creating automation around the company – doing more with less — while focusing on service, is critical for NCT and will continue to be critical in the years to come. Our goals continue to be offering superior service over our competitors and keeping our clients happy and our staff challenged.

JM: You mentioned earlier some of the new products that you are planning to introduce. Can you be more specific?

MH: Some of our new products will focus on merchants using internet based programs. Through the web and their own websites they will be able to process all sorts of payments, including facilitating the movement of money, checks, credit cards and ACH transactions. The goal, as with all of our products and services, is to help make our client’s business more efficient by ensuring that they are getting their collections and Accounts receivables faster and easier.

Additionally, looking for alliances and diversification will be a top priority going forward for NCT.

JM: Now that we’ve spent some time looking forward, let’s take a quick step back and analyze the success NCT has had to this point. If you had to pinpoint one or two factors that have been the most influential in NCT’s success, what would they be?

MH: Our success has come from our people, as well as, focusing on companies that fall into one of the target markets I mentioned before. Becoming specialists in these high-ticket segments of the market has allowed us to maintain a strong focus.

JM: And now, moving back to forward thinking, what key ingredients will it take for NCT to carry its success forward in the future?

MH: In today’s business environment, you are only as good as your customers.  Working with integrity and good business ethics is critical.

The other ingredient is being ready to diversify since you never know what industries are going to have their struggles at any given time.

I believe that NCT has always kept both of these tenets of sound business in mind, and we certainly plan on continuing to do so moving forward.

JM: Marty, thank you for being with us today and being so candid with your responses. Good Luck in the coming years.

MH: Thank you.

**********

Auto dealers take note: the deadline to submit any pending Cash for Clunkers deals, including all paperwork, is 8:00 pm ET on Monday, August 24th.

While the program has obviously produced a lot of results in a short period of time, not all auto dealers have given Cash for Clunkers glowing reports.

For example, auto dealers in the San Francisco Bay Area have reported that despite promises from the Obama Administration that they would be reimbursed for the rebates they are giving to car buyers, there is some skepticism and fear that they could be left taking some losses.  Some dealers are still owed in the millions. From a story at MercuryNews.com:

“We haven’t received anything yet,” said Tom Young, operating partner and executive manager of Concord Chevrolet. “I have not heard of a single other dealership that’s been reimbursed. They have a lot of our money.”

Concord Chevrolet has about 44 deals awaiting reimbursement from the federal government, which is offering $3,500 to $4,500 per car as part of the Cash for Clunkers program. The government said Thursday that the program would end Monday.

Downtown Toyota of Oakland halted its participation in Cash for Clunkers last Friday, owner Ralph Fattore said. It has turned away “at least 30, maybe 40″ customers who wanted to trade in a clunker for cash, Fattore said.

“I have not gotten one dollar in reimbursement,” Fattore said. “I have $300,000 or more dollars out there that Uncle Sam owes us. If they screwed up this program so badly, I wonder what our health care system will be like.”

AutoNation, which operates dealerships throughout the country, including a number in the Bay Area under the AutoWest brand, says it is owed $45 million by the government.

Obviously everyone is still hoping that, despite the delays, reimbursements will be forthcoming. The problems are not limited to the Bay Area either. Dealers in New York, among others, have pulled out of the Cash for Clunkers program early. They also say that reimbursements have been slow to come.

Other dealers, however, while concerned about the delays and contemplating an early withdrawal “just to be safe,” are expecting a huge surge of Cash for Clunkers activity over the last weekend of the program. From a story at RGJ.com:

“There’s still a demand among people interested in purchasing (a new vehicle),” said Richard West, president of Jones West Ford on Kietzke Lane in Reno, where about 25 new vehicles have been sold since the program started in July. 

 

“If you’re sitting on the fence, now is the time to buy,” West said.

For more information and to stay abreast of the latest news, here a few resources:

• Official Cash for Clunkers website — (CARS.gov)
• Cash for Clunkers to end Monday — (Official Press Release from CARS.gov)
• Cash for Clunkers Facts — (CashForClunkersFacts.com)

We’ve compiled some of the up-to-date news about the C.A.R.S. program, with links and excerpts below. Additionally, to find out the list of dealers participating in the “Cash for Clunkers” program, follow the link to CARS.gov dealer locator.

As Cash for Clunkers Starts, Dealers Hope to Clear Lots — (Time Magazine)

After many months of agonizingly slow sales, automakers and dealers are anxiously counting on the cash-for-clunkers program, getting under way officially on July 27, to help clear their lots.

They’ve got good reason to be nervous. With sales running at less than 10 million units annually — the lowest level in more than three decades — there is still a mountain of inventory sitting with dealers around the U.S. despite deep cuts in production, not only by the bankrupt General Motors Corp. and Chrysler Group LLC, but also by companies such as Toyota, Ford and Nissan.

Auto recyclers leery of cash for clunkers – (AP)

One website that is providing consistent coverage and information about the program is CashForClunkersFacts.com.  There, you can read stories regarding the potential for the program to run out of money by August 1st, as well as a discussion of some consumers’ frustration with fuel economy data.