Counterfeit cashier's checks bearing the name Brenham National Bank, Brenham, Texas, are reportedly in circulation

The Brenham National Bank, Brenham, Texas, 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 routing number 113117194, which is assigned to The Brenham National Bank. The items are dissimilar to authentic cashier's checks and, when copied, have a "VOID" background. A security feature statement is embedded within a darkened top border and along the bottom border between two padlock icons. The words "CASHIER'S CHECK" are shown in the lower-right corner below the signature line. The words "CHECK DATE," "CHECK NUMBER" and "CHECK AMOUNT" are shown in a box above the signature line.

The Brenham National Bank issues two different types of authentic cashier's checks:

The first type of authentic check displays the words "CASHIER'S CHECKS" above the signature line. A security feature statement is embedded within a darkened bottom border. A "NOTICE TO CUSTOMERS" is in the lower-left corner.

The second type of authentic check displays the words "Cashier's Check" in the top-right corner. The statement "TWO SIGNATURES REQUIRED OVER $10,000.00" appears below two signature lines in the lower-right corner.

Copies of a counterfeit item and the authentic checks (VOID) are attached for your review. Be aware that the appearance of counterfeit items can be modified and that additional variations may be presented.

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

David Kiemsteadt
Senior Vice President
The Brenham National Bank
P.O. Box 2568
2211 South Day Street
Brenham, Texas 77833
Telephone: (979) 836-4571
Fax: (979) 836-1408
E-mail: dkiemsteadt@bnbank.com

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-3054, Washington, D.C. 20429, or transmitted electronically to alert@fdic.gov. Questions 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 website at www.fdic.gov/news/news/SpecialAlert/2010/index.html. To learn how to automatically receive FDIC Special Alerts through e-mail, please visit www.fdic.gov/about/subscriptions/index.html.

Sandra L. ThompsonDirector
Division of Supervision and Consumer Protection