Counterfeit cashier's checks drawn on Banner Bank, Walla Walla, Washington, are reportedly in circulation

Banner Bank, Walla Walla, Washington, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the institution's name are in circulation.

The counterfeit items display the proper routing number of 323371076 for Banner Bank; however, the fraudulent items are markedly dissimilar to authentic bank checks. The layout, style and fonts are different. The counterfeit items display "BANNER BANK" in large, bold letters; a large "BB" logo in the upper-left corner; and "CASHIER'S CHECK" in the top-center portion of the item. Authentic checks display the true Banner Bank triangular-shaped banner logo; "BANNER BANK" in considerably smaller font in the upper-left corner; and "CASHIER'S CHECK" in the lower-left portion of the check. A similar Special Alert (SA-60-2005) for Banner Bank was issued on June 2, 2005. A copy of a counterfeit item and a copy of an authentic cashier's check (VOID) are attached for your review.

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

Information about counterfeit items, cyber-fraud incidents and other fraudulent activity may be forwarded to the FDIC's Cyber-Fraud and Financial Crimes Section, 550 17 th Street, N.W., Room F-4004, Washington, D.C. 20429, or transmitted electronically to alert@fdic.gov. Information related to federal deposit insurance or consumer issues should be submitted to the FDIC using an online form that can be accessed at http://www2.fdic.gov/starsmail/index.asp.

For your reference, FDIC Special Alerts may be accessed from the FDIC's Web site at www.fdic.gov/news/news/SpecialAlert/2005/index.html. To learn how to automatically receive FDIC Special Alerts through e-mail, please visit www.fdic.gov/about/subscriptions/index.html.

Christopher J. Spoth

Acting Director
Division of Supervision and Consumer Protection