Counterfeit checks drawn on The Equitable Bank, SSB, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, are reportedly in circulation

The Equitable Bank, S.S.B., Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, has contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit checks bearing the institution's name are in circulation.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 075902722, which is assigned to JP Morgan Chase Bank, Belleville, MI. The counterfeit items are pale blue on a white background gradating to a pink hue on the right side of the item. Authentic checks have a light blue background with blue ink; the check numbers are printed in black ink. The spelling of the city is incorrect on the counterfeit items. A copy of a counterfeit item and an authentic check (VOID) are attached for your review.

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

Erin Arneson
Vice President Retail Banking
The Equitable Bank, S.S.B.
2290 North Mayfair Road
Wauwatosa, WI 53226
Ph. 414-777-4130
Fax: 414-777-4149
erin.arneson@equitablebank.net

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 17th 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. SpothActing Director
Division of Supervision and Consumer Protection