NorthStar Technologies LLC. was founded to provide a web-enabled check management system for customers looking to improve cash flow, reduce processing fees and increase recovery of NSF checks. NorthStar provides powerful tools for companies and organizations looking to reduce the costs involved in their check processing. Overall, the company can be characterized as a premier service provider in the application of electronic collections.

Other Points of Interest / Industry Facts and Figures / Personnel / Partners / Careers / Affiliations

Other Points of Interest

Background

For many years, people have had their return items posted against their checking account and the bank forwarded them by U.S. mail back to their business. There the item(s) may sit for days or even weeks, losing collect-ability daily. In addition, if a merchant has several locations posting their return items or payments back to the proper location is a P&L nightmare.

 
 
Industry Facts and Figures
  • According to the Nilson Report and The United states Check Growth Study over 85 billion checks are processed yearly, with over a billion checks returned
  • The Federal Reserve anticipates this figure to grow 3% per year through 2005.
  • Automated clearinghouse (ACH) payments totaled almost 6.9 billion, as reported by NACHA – The Electronic Payments Association at its Payments 2001 Conference in April 2001.
  • Annual commercial ACH volume is 580 percent higher than 10 years ago.
  • ACH payments for 2000 totaled 6.8 billion, up 12.4% from the 6.12 billion payments reported for 1999.
  • Thirty-two million paper checks were converted into electronic ACH debits at retail locations in 2000, the first year that statistics for this new ACH product were available.
  • There are currently over a million fraudulent checks worth more than $27 million written daily.
  • Professional and third party collection agencies collected and returned more than $20.4 billion to the U.S. economy in 1999.
The industry changed drastically in the way they collect paper return items when the new rule from the National Association of ClearingHouses (NACHA) came out in September 2000. The new rule allows for a paper return item to be returned electronically up to two (2) more times after the initial paper return. The re-presented check (RCk) will memo post against the debtor’s account ahead of all other paper items, increasing the collection rate for the merchant. Another advantage is the 3rd RCk may be warehoused in a database and timed to be sent on the 1st or 15th of the month, for a greater chance of clearing the debtor’s account.

In addition, the Federal Reserve revised Reg. E, of the uniform commercial code March 16, 2001, to accommodate the collection of the service fee electronically by simply posting a disclosure at the point-of-sale. NACHA, though, insists that a signature still be required by the consumer to initiate an ACH for the return check fee against the account.

   
 
Personnel

Charlie Pilkington

Charlie is head of Marketing and Business Development for NorthStar Technologies. In this position, he is responsible for marketing and distribution of all products, new client relationships, and strategic company alliances. He has over 13 years in banking specializing in risk management solutions. Previous to that he spent 5 years in the United States Air Force, serving in the intelligence field. He has a bachelor’s degree of business from the University of Bellevue. He also is an associate member of the National Association of Certified Fraud Examiners and a member of the International Association of Financial Crime Investigators. During his banking career his responsibilities included implementing and directing the Risk Management department for a four billion dollar bank group. Working as liaison for both local and federal law enforcement at investigating and assisting in the prosecution of bank related crimes. He conducted on going training for bank front line personnel in the areas of bank secrecy, suspicious transaction reports and currency transaction reports. His department was instrumental in refining fraud parameters and developing investigative methods that were adapted throughout the Bank Group. In addition, his self design-kiting program and automatic DDA charge-off program are still in place at all 14 member banks of the bank group.

Phil Curtis

Phil Curtis is head of Technology at NorthStar Technologies. In this position, Phil is responsible for the infrastructure and design of the network and servers that host the NorthStar Web site. Additionally, Phil is responsible for the core system design of the Automated processes that move data through the NorthStar database.
Phil has over 20 years experience writing in various computer languages. He has in-depth experience with many Database environments, from Desktop to Server base systems. He has worked in multiple industries writing and developing applicational software that include Oil and Gas, Insurance, Manufacturing and the Financial Industry. Phil also spent time at Commercial Financial Services as a Principal Analyst, responsible for converting legacy data into a MS SQL Server based system and serving on the infrastructure design team. Prior to CFS, Phil spent 10 years as the Manager of Applications Development and PC Systems Support for Samson Companies. He grew their infrastructure from 1 Server and 25 workstations to over 35 servers and over 1500 workstations that encompassed a Wide Area Network that included Tulsa, Calgary, Maracaibo and Moscow.

   
 
Career Opportunity

NorthStar offers enthusiastic people the opportunity to take control of their future and excel in a fast-paced environment.

  • Are you self motivated?
  • Have you a desire to take control of your professional life and earning potential?
  • Would you enjoy building long-term relationships with other professionals in the financial, medical and retail industries?
If your answer is "yes"? Then contact us.

Your Future

NorthStar is currently looking for qualified professionals in sales, customer service and development. Our sales associates meet daily with business offering an established added-value service that impacts the daily operations of any successful business—cash flow. From our EasyRecovery products to Verification services, NorthStar is able to meet and support any point-of-sale risk management need, be it in the banking, retail, medical, utilities or any industry. If monthly residuals and unlimited earning potential are of interest to you then contact us today to become part of the team!

   
 
Affiliations

   Oklahoma Grocers Associations

   
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