Counterfeit checks drawn on Horizon Bank, Bellingham, Washington,are in circulation

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has learned that counterfeit cashier's checks drawn on Horizon Bank, Bellingham, Washington, are currently in circulation. The items bear the routing number 325170631. Attached for your information is a copy of one of the counterfeit instruments. Banks should encourage their customers to verify the validity of cashier's checks before releasing any merchandise or before sending a part of the proceeds of the checks to any third party.

Any information you have concerning this matter should be brought to the attention of:

Mr. A.R. "Gus" Ayala
Senior Vice President
Horizon Bank
1500 Cornwall Ave
Bellingham, Washington 98226
Telephone: (360) 733-3050
(360) 733-7019

Information about these instruments also may be forwarded to the FDIC's Special Activities Section, 550 17th Street, NW, Room F-4040, Washington, DC 20429, or transmitted electronically to alert@fdic.gov.

For your reference, FDIC Financial Institution Letters may be accessed from the FDIC's Web site at www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2002/index.html. To learn how to automatically receive FDIC Financial Institution Letters through e-mail, please visit http://www.fdic.gov/news/news/announcements/index.html.

Michael J. Zamorski Director