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Tax season often brings an increase in check fraud activity, and we are currently seeing specific patterns in several markets. Based on recent site visits and bankwide data, fraud trends include altered checks, fraudulent IDs, and tax refund schemes that can put MSBs at risk.
Fraud is not evenly distributed across the country. Recent analysis shows:
Understanding these localized trends can help MSBs tailor their detection and prevention efforts based on where their business operates.
Why Fraud Is Often Missed
In busy MSB settings, tellers and staff are under pressure to process customers quickly. Fast service is important, but it should not come at the expense of proper verification. Common reasons fraud is missed include:
Slowing down when suspicious signals appear can prevent significant losses later.
One of the most common fraud methods involves chemical alteration (sometimes called “check washing”), where fraudsters remove original payee information and rewrite it.
How to detect it:
Areas that glow differently often indicate tampering.
Even if the check has no embedded security feature, an altered area will reflect under UV light in a way that the original paper will not.
Fraud prevention is not only about tools. People exhibit behavior that often signals something is wrong:
Watch for customers who:
These behaviors, when combined with instrument anomalies, are stronger indicators of fraud.
In some cases, the check is real, but the transaction context is not. A common example seen in Michigan:
These patterns suggest the check itself may be authentic, but the process that generated it was fraudulent. The bank will eventually identify the issue, but MSBs may face loss if the check is returned.
Slowing down and asking questions helps you protect your business from future exposure.
It’s natural to want to avoid losing a small fee by turning away a suspicious check. However, a rushed decision can expose your business to a much higher loss when a check is returned or fails later verification.
Protecting your business means:
When fraud is prevented at the front line, the long-term financial health of your business is protected.
For many residents of DeLand, the airport on the north side of town feels like a world of its own. Planes climb into the sky daily. Parachutes bloom overhead. Visitors arrive from across the globe. What many may not realize is that Skydive DeLand is not only a local attraction. It is one of the most influential skydiving centers in the world.
Skydive DeLand began operations in 1982, taking over a location that had already seen continuous skydiving activity since 1958. From its earliest days, the company was led by competitors at the highest level of the sport. Both founders were National Champions, and one went on to achieve the title of World Champion in four-person team competition.
That competitive ambition changed the sport.
To pursue world-class performance, the founders enhanced the way teams trained. They invested in aircraft, facilities, personnel, and infrastructure that allowed for intensive, structured team training. At the time, very few drop zones operated seven days a week. Skydive DeLand quickly became a full-time operation, open year-round.
As teams discovered the level of support and consistency available in DeLand, they began traveling here from all over the world. What started as a training philosophy became a global destination.
For many years, Skydive DeLand was recognized as the most active skydiving center in the world.
As training programs expanded, so did the industry surrounding them. Equipment manufacturers began relocating to DeLand in order to test new parachute designs and innovations in real-world conditions.
Today, more than 20 skydiving-related companies operate in the DeLand area. Together, they form the largest parachute equipment manufacturing cluster in the world. Skydive DeLand serves as the anchor for that ecosystem.
Manufacturers rely on the consistent jump activity to test new canopies and equipment designs. Similar to how automotive companies rely on test tracks, skydiving manufacturers rely on active drop zones.
The result is that DeLand became known internationally as the Skydiving Capital of the World. Travelers from Europe, South America, and across the United States continue to visit year after year, particularly during the late winter and spring seasons when weather conditions are ideal.
Beyond competitions and equipment development, Skydive DeLand has fostered a global community.
Teams train here for weeks or months at a time. Large events have attracted hundreds of participants. National championships have been hosted here. At any given time, visitors may be staying in local hotels, RVs, or short-term rentals.
That international presence supports tourism, local hospitality, and small businesses throughout DeLand. A past industry census estimated more than 600 jobs connected directly or indirectly to the skydiving and equipment manufacturing sector.
During economic downturns, when other industries struggled, Skydive DeLand remained strong. Tandem jumps and recreational experiences continued to attract visitors. Equipment manufacturing remained active. That stability helped support the broader local economy during difficult periods.
The people who make up the skydiving community are also deeply engaged locally. Many longtime jumpers and industry professionals participate in other civic and community activities throughout DeLand. For those who retire from jumping, many continue to invest their energy in the town they have come to call home.
In 2025, the Skydive DeLand community experienced a devastating loss.
Bob Hallett, one of the two original founders and the majority shareholder of the company, passed away unexpectedly following a traffic accident on his way to work. He had been with the company since its early days and remained actively involved in daily operations.
Bob was not only a business leader but a central figure in the skydiving community. His vision and commitment helped shape Skydive DeLand into the global leader it became. His passing deeply affected employees, jumpers, manufacturers, and longtime friends across the industry.
For a company that has operated as both a workplace and a close-knit community, the loss was profound. Yet the legacy he helped build continues in the culture, the operations, and the global impact of the organization.
One story reflects just how far Skydive DeLand’s reach extends. A local Stetson professor once attended a conference in Taiwan and turned on the television in his hotel room. There was a feature about Skydive DeLand. He returned home surprised to discover that an internationally recognized skydiving center operated just minutes from where he lived.
That story captures something unique about Skydive DeLand. It has put DeLand on the world map, even if some residents are not fully aware of what happens at the airport each day.
Visitors are welcome to observe jumps from the viewing areas or enjoy the adjacent restaurant deck. Others choose to experience a tandem jump. Some begin lifelong careers in the sport. Whether someone comes to watch or to participate, Skydive DeLand remains open and active every day.
For more information, visit SkyDiveDeLand.com to learn about tandem experiences, training programs, and upcoming events.
Skydive DeLand is more than a drop zone. It is a global training center, an innovation hub, and a long-standing contributor to the DeLand community. Its history reflects ambition, resilience, and a deep commitment to both sport and town.
At first glance, a checking account is a checking account. Money comes in, money goes out, and you check the balance when you need to. But the day you start running a business, the rules change, because the risk changes. Business accounts aren’t just “bigger” consumer accounts. They typically handle more transactions, more users, more payment types, and more moving parts.
There’s another key difference many owners don’t realize until it’s too late: business accounts generally do not have the same level of consumer protections that consumer (personal) accounts do. When something goes wrong, the process, timelines, and potential liability can look very different. That’s why fraud prevention for businesses isn’t optional. It’s operational.
Consumer (personal) accounts are usually simpler:
Business accounts are different by design:
And because business accounts are treated differently than consumer accounts, the responsibility to monitor activity and catch issues early often rests more heavily on the business.
Most business owners are busy. Delegating bookkeeping is smart, because your time is valuable. But delegation without visibility is where risk grows, especially when one person has end-to-end control.
Internal fraud often looks like:
It’s rarely dramatic at the beginning. It’s usually quiet, incremental, and designed not to be noticed.
Consider Lisa, who owns a growing medical practice. She hired a bookkeeper to “handle the finances” and assumed monthly reports were enough. Lisa rarely reviewed actual transactions unless something felt off.
Over time, the bookkeeper began issuing checks to a vendor that sounded legitimate. The amounts were small—$180 here, $250 there—coded as routine office supplies. The practice was busy, revenue was strong, and nothing looked “wrong” at a high level.
Six months later, Lisa’s accountant flagged unusual expense patterns during a quarterly review. By then, the total loss wasn’t a rounding error. It was meaningful, and the cleanup took time, created stress, and required uncomfortable conversations. The hardest part wasn’t just the money; it was realizing the problem could have been caught early with simple, consistent oversight.
You don’t need to become your own bookkeeper. You just need a rhythm of review that helps you spot unusual activity quickly, especially because business accounts don’t always come with the same consumer-style protections.
Try these straightforward habits:
Strong habits matter, but systems are what help you scale safely. Depending on your business, ask about tools such as:
Surety Bank can help you evaluate which controls fit your operation, set permissions correctly, and implement tools like Positive Pay in a way that’s practical—not burdensome. The goal is to put guardrails in place that make fraud harder to commit and easier to catch, without slowing down your business.
Residential accounts are often simpler and tend to come with broader consumer-style protections. Business accounts operate differently—more volume, more access, more complexity, and often less built-in protection. That’s why vigilance isn’t just a best practice; it’s part of responsible business ownership.
Fraud prevention isn’t about paranoia. It’s about professionalism: review regularly, limit access wisely, and build systems that protect your business long before problems appear.
For cash-heavy businesses, deposit routines are not just an operations detail. They are a security issue, a controls issue, and often a cash-flow issue. When business cash gets deposited “personally,” meaning an owner or employee deposits cash through personal banking habits or into the wrong account, it can blur your recordkeeping and weaken internal controls. The IRS notes it is a good idea to keep separate business and personal accounts because it makes recordkeeping easier. The U.S. Small Business Administration also emphasizes separating funds by using a dedicated business bank account to keep bookkeeping clean and accurate.
Just as important is the security perspective. Regularly sending someone to the bank with cash exposes employees to real risk, and it creates a predictable pattern that can be exploited. The ABA Banking Journal has noted that too many cash-handling touch points, including trips to the bank, increase risk and can put employees in physical danger. Brink’s similarly points out that employees are exposed to theft risk when transporting cash, and that partnering with trained cash logistics professionals can reduce the risk of theft and increase accountability through secure transport procedures.
Some businesses try to replace bank runs with a courier pickup, but not every courier model is designed for cash. Cash transportation is high-risk, and the best solution is typically a purpose-built cash logistics provider whose job is secure cash handling, documentation, and transport. Trained cash logistics professionals and armored services are structured to reduce theft exposure and strengthen chain-of-custody and accountability, which is fundamentally different from general delivery services.
Surety Bank’s Smart Safe is designed specifically for cash-heavy businesses that want stronger security and a cleaner, more reliable deposit process. Surety explains that, through its partnership with Loomis, Smart Safe lets your business deposit cash on-site, receive provisional credit to your Surety Bank account, and eliminate unnecessary bank runs. From a security standpoint, Surety highlights benefits like real-time tracking of deposits, enhanced security for cash and employees, and better accountability with fewer cash shortages.
From a cash-flow standpoint, Surety’s process is built around speed. You enter the amount, deposit the cash into the Smart Safe device, and Surety provides provisional credit to your business account based on that entry. Loomis also describes provisional credit as daily credit for cash deposits without having to go to the bank, reducing time and helping reduce the risk of robbery outside the store.
If your business handles cash, the goal is to reduce handling, reduce trips, and reduce uncertainty. A strong plan usually includes keeping all business cash activity in business accounts and processes with clear documentation and daily reconciliation, minimizing manual bank runs, and using a Smart Safe with a professional cash logistics partner so deposits are tracked and transport is handled by specialists.
Contact our Treasury Services department today to learn how Smart Safe can help you strengthen security, simplify deposits, and improve visibility into your cash.
Adding a new product or service can significantly increase revenue for an MSB. Whether it is money transmission, ATM services, or another offering, early coordination with the bank helps ensure your new service launches smoothly and begins generating income as quickly as possible.
Many service-related delays occur when new offerings are added without notifying the bank in advance.
Each product or service comes with specific monitoring, reporting, and account requirements. The bank must be able to review activity accurately and ensure it aligns with regulatory expectations.
When a new service is launched without notice, activity may flow into the wrong account or lack required reporting. Fixing these issues after the service is live often causes delays or temporary interruptions.
ATM Services
If you are adding an ATM, the bank typically requires:
ATM activity cannot be combined with other MSB transactions due to reconciliation and compliance requirements.
Money Transmission Services
This includes services such as Western Union or other money transfer providers.
While these services may not require a separate account, they do require monthly reporting. At a minimum, reports must include:
These reports allow the bank to identify patterns, monitor risk, and meet regulatory obligations.
Even if a third-party provider has its own compliance program, the bank is still responsible for monitoring the activity flowing through your accounts.
Some MSBs assume that because a vendor manages compliance on their side, the bank does not need reporting. This is a common misconception. Ultimately, the funds flow through the bank, and the bank must conduct its own review.
Failing to provide required reporting can delay approvals, reviews, and future expansion plans.
Adding services often requires:
When these steps are completed in advance, services can go live quickly. When handled after launch, they often result in delays, holds, or additional review.
Growth is a positive step for any MSB. Whether you are adding a new product, service, or location, early communication with the bank helps ensure the process is efficient and compliant.
Starting the conversation early allows the bank to guide you, prepare properly, and help you move forward with fewer obstacles and less frustration.
If expansion is even a possibility, reaching out now can save significant time later.
Opening a new location is an exciting milestone for any MSB. New storefronts mean new customers, increased volume, and business growth. However, opening a new branch also brings additional banking, compliance, and operational requirements that must be completed before you can begin operating.
One of the most common causes of delayed openings is a lack of early or consistent communication with the bank. When the bank is informed early and kept in the loop, the process moves faster and far more smoothly.
From the bank’s perspective, opening a new MSB location is not simply adding another address. There are multiple regulatory, licensing, and operational steps that must be completed before the first transaction can take place.
We often see situations where a customer notifies the bank months in advance, receives a checklist of required items, then communication stops. When the customer reconnects and is ready to open, none of the required steps have been completed. At that point, the bank cannot approve activity, even if the storefront is ready.
Consistent communication ensures both sides stay aligned and prevents last-minute delays.
Depending on the state, services offered, and geographic location, opening a new branch may require:
Even experienced MSBs are sometimes surprised to learn that requirements vary by state and location. A location that works in one market may require different preparation in another.
Many MSBs assume that once a lease is signed and the store is ready, operations can begin immediately. From a banking and regulatory standpoint, this is not always the case.
If required licenses, amendments, or system testing are not completed, the bank cannot allow the location to operate. This is not meant to slow down your business. It is meant to protect both your operation and the bank from compliance violations.
The most efficient openings share a few things in common:
When communication stays consistent, opening timelines are shorter, approvals are smoother, and unexpected delays are far less likely.
For many residents of DeLand, the airport on the north side of town feels like a world of its own. Planes climb into the sky daily. Parachutes bloom overhead. Visitors arrive from across the globe. What many may not realize is that Skydive DeLand is not only a local attraction. It is one of the most influential skydiving centers in the world.
Skydive DeLand began operations in 1982, taking over a location that had already seen continuous skydiving activity since 1958. From its earliest days, the company was led by competitors at the highest level of the sport. Both founders were National Champions, and one went on to achieve the title of World Champion in four-person team competition.
That competitive ambition changed the sport.
To pursue world-class performance, the founders enhanced the way teams trained. They invested in aircraft, facilities, personnel, and infrastructure that allowed for intensive, structured team training. At the time, very few drop zones operated seven days a week. Skydive DeLand quickly became a full-time operation, open year-round.
As teams discovered the level of support and consistency available in DeLand, they began traveling here from all over the world. What started as a training philosophy became a global destination.
For many years, Skydive DeLand was recognized as the most active skydiving center in the world.
As training programs expanded, so did the industry surrounding them. Equipment manufacturers began relocating to DeLand in order to test new parachute designs and innovations in real-world conditions.
Today, more than 20 skydiving-related companies operate in the DeLand area. Together, they form the largest parachute equipment manufacturing cluster in the world. Skydive DeLand serves as the anchor for that ecosystem.
Manufacturers rely on the consistent jump activity to test new canopies and equipment designs. Similar to how automotive companies rely on test tracks, skydiving manufacturers rely on active drop zones.
The result is that DeLand became known internationally as the Skydiving Capital of the World. Travelers from Europe, South America, and across the United States continue to visit year after year, particularly during the late winter and spring seasons when weather conditions are ideal.
Beyond competitions and equipment development, Skydive DeLand has fostered a global community.
Teams train here for weeks or months at a time. Large events have attracted hundreds of participants. National championships have been hosted here. At any given time, visitors may be staying in local hotels, RVs, or short-term rentals.
That international presence supports tourism, local hospitality, and small businesses throughout DeLand. A past industry census estimated more than 600 jobs connected directly or indirectly to the skydiving and equipment manufacturing sector.
During economic downturns, when other industries struggled, Skydive DeLand remained strong. Tandem jumps and recreational experiences continued to attract visitors. Equipment manufacturing remained active. That stability helped support the broader local economy during difficult periods.
The people who make up the skydiving community are also deeply engaged locally. Many longtime jumpers and industry professionals participate in other civic and community activities throughout DeLand. For those who retire from jumping, many continue to invest their energy in the town they have come to call home.
In 2025, the Skydive DeLand community experienced a devastating loss.
Bob Hallett, one of the two original founders and the majority shareholder of the company, passed away unexpectedly following a traffic accident on his way to work. He had been with the company since its early days and remained actively involved in daily operations.
Bob was not only a business leader but a central figure in the skydiving community. His vision and commitment helped shape Skydive DeLand into the global leader it became. His passing deeply affected employees, jumpers, manufacturers, and longtime friends across the industry.
For a company that has operated as both a workplace and a close-knit community, the loss was profound. Yet the legacy he helped build continues in the culture, the operations, and the global impact of the organization.
One story reflects just how far Skydive DeLand’s reach extends. A local Stetson professor once attended a conference in Taiwan and turned on the television in his hotel room. There was a feature about Skydive DeLand. He returned home surprised to discover that an internationally recognized skydiving center operated just minutes from where he lived.
That story captures something unique about Skydive DeLand. It has put DeLand on the world map, even if some residents are not fully aware of what happens at the airport each day.
Visitors are welcome to observe jumps from the viewing areas or enjoy the adjacent restaurant deck. Others choose to experience a tandem jump. Some begin lifelong careers in the sport. Whether someone comes to watch or to participate, Skydive DeLand remains open and active every day.
For more information, visit SkyDiveDeLand.com to learn about tandem experiences, training programs, and upcoming events.
Skydive DeLand is more than a drop zone. It is a global training center, an innovation hub, and a long-standing contributor to the DeLand community. Its history reflects ambition, resilience, and a deep commitment to both sport and town.
Tax season often brings an increase in check fraud activity, and we are currently seeing specific patterns in several markets. Based on recent site visits and bankwide data, fraud trends include altered checks, fraudulent IDs, and tax refund schemes that can put MSBs at risk.
Fraud is not evenly distributed across the country. Recent analysis shows:
Understanding these localized trends can help MSBs tailor their detection and prevention efforts based on where their business operates.
Why Fraud Is Often Missed
In busy MSB settings, tellers and staff are under pressure to process customers quickly. Fast service is important, but it should not come at the expense of proper verification. Common reasons fraud is missed include:
Slowing down when suspicious signals appear can prevent significant losses later.
One of the most common fraud methods involves chemical alteration (sometimes called “check washing”), where fraudsters remove original payee information and rewrite it.
How to detect it:
Areas that glow differently often indicate tampering.
Even if the check has no embedded security feature, an altered area will reflect under UV light in a way that the original paper will not.
Fraud prevention is not only about tools. People exhibit behavior that often signals something is wrong:
Watch for customers who:
These behaviors, when combined with instrument anomalies, are stronger indicators of fraud.
In some cases, the check is real, but the transaction context is not. A common example seen in Michigan:
These patterns suggest the check itself may be authentic, but the process that generated it was fraudulent. The bank will eventually identify the issue, but MSBs may face loss if the check is returned.
Slowing down and asking questions helps you protect your business from future exposure.
It’s natural to want to avoid losing a small fee by turning away a suspicious check. However, a rushed decision can expose your business to a much higher loss when a check is returned or fails later verification.
Protecting your business means:
When fraud is prevented at the front line, the long-term financial health of your business is protected.
At first glance, a checking account is a checking account. Money comes in, money goes out, and you check the balance when you need to. But the day you start running a business, the rules change, because the risk changes. Business accounts aren’t just “bigger” consumer accounts. They typically handle more transactions, more users, more payment types, and more moving parts.
There’s another key difference many owners don’t realize until it’s too late: business accounts generally do not have the same level of consumer protections that consumer (personal) accounts do. When something goes wrong, the process, timelines, and potential liability can look very different. That’s why fraud prevention for businesses isn’t optional. It’s operational.
Consumer (personal) accounts are usually simpler:
Business accounts are different by design:
And because business accounts are treated differently than consumer accounts, the responsibility to monitor activity and catch issues early often rests more heavily on the business.
Most business owners are busy. Delegating bookkeeping is smart, because your time is valuable. But delegation without visibility is where risk grows, especially when one person has end-to-end control.
Internal fraud often looks like:
It’s rarely dramatic at the beginning. It’s usually quiet, incremental, and designed not to be noticed.
Consider Lisa, who owns a growing medical practice. She hired a bookkeeper to “handle the finances” and assumed monthly reports were enough. Lisa rarely reviewed actual transactions unless something felt off.
Over time, the bookkeeper began issuing checks to a vendor that sounded legitimate. The amounts were small—$180 here, $250 there—coded as routine office supplies. The practice was busy, revenue was strong, and nothing looked “wrong” at a high level.
Six months later, Lisa’s accountant flagged unusual expense patterns during a quarterly review. By then, the total loss wasn’t a rounding error. It was meaningful, and the cleanup took time, created stress, and required uncomfortable conversations. The hardest part wasn’t just the money; it was realizing the problem could have been caught early with simple, consistent oversight.
You don’t need to become your own bookkeeper. You just need a rhythm of review that helps you spot unusual activity quickly, especially because business accounts don’t always come with the same consumer-style protections.
Try these straightforward habits:
Strong habits matter, but systems are what help you scale safely. Depending on your business, ask about tools such as:
Surety Bank can help you evaluate which controls fit your operation, set permissions correctly, and implement tools like Positive Pay in a way that’s practical—not burdensome. The goal is to put guardrails in place that make fraud harder to commit and easier to catch, without slowing down your business.
Residential accounts are often simpler and tend to come with broader consumer-style protections. Business accounts operate differently—more volume, more access, more complexity, and often less built-in protection. That’s why vigilance isn’t just a best practice; it’s part of responsible business ownership.
Fraud prevention isn’t about paranoia. It’s about professionalism: review regularly, limit access wisely, and build systems that protect your business long before problems appear.
It’s November, your store is packed, the line at the register is snaking down the aisle and your seasonal staff is doing their best to keep up. You’re watching every sale, every return and every refund, knowing that the next six weeks can make or break your year. With card processing fees climbing, it’s tempting to push customers toward cash and even add a 3% “convenience” or “non-cash adjustment” fee when they tap or swipe a card. After all, there are no fees on cash… right?
The problem is that cash comes with its own price tag, one most retailers don’t see until it’s quietly eaten into their margins.
A study by the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council found that the real cost of cash can range from 4.7% (grocery) to as high as 15.5% (bars and restaurants) once you factor in labor, handling and shrinkage. That means for every $100 in cash you accept, you might really be keeping only $84.50 to $95.30.
For many retailers, the biggest hidden cost is time:
For example, convenience stores—which operate in a similar high-volume, low-margin environment as many retailers—spend an estimated 15–20 hours per week just counting and handling cash. At an average wage of $14.33 per hour, that’s:
Over a year, that works out to $11,177–$14,903 in labor just to handle cash. During the holidays, when lines are longer and staff is stretched thinner, those hours often go up, not down.
Cash also keeps you in the dark longer than you might realize. With cash-heavy operations, you often don’t know your true daily performance until drawers are counted, deposits are prepared and everything is reconciled—sometimes hours after the store closes. That lag makes it harder to adjust staffing, reorder inventory or tweak promotions while it still matters.
Electronic payments, by contrast, can feed real-time metrics into your point-of-sale and treasury platforms. You can see, often down to the hour, what’s selling, which locations are busiest, which promotions are working and how your cash flow looks heading into the next day. That visibility is especially valuable in the holiday rush, when a fast decision about staffing or inventory can mean the difference between a record weekend and missed opportunities.
On top of labor, cash exposes retailers to risks that electronic payments help reduce:
This is why many banks are rolling out treasury platforms with fraud controls, positive pay, ACH options and remote deposit capture to help business customers move away from “cash management” and toward cash flow management. Framing the conversation around speed, security, real-time information and time savings can be more effective—and more honest—than simply pushing for “more cash.”
Let’s apply real numbers to a typical retail scenario.
Say you own a store and decide to add a 3% convenience fee to card transactions while still accepting cash. Here’s what happens on a $100 ticket:
Card payment with a 3% convenience fee
Cash payment with hidden costs (using the 15.5% example)
So for every $100 transaction, you effectively keep:
That’s a $15.41 difference per $100 ticket in favor of electronic payments.
During the holidays, when your volume spikes, that gap adds up quickly. The season you’ve been counting on to boost profits can quietly turn into the season where hidden cash costs quietly steal them away, one transaction at a time.
If you’d like to talk through how to reduce the hidden costs of cash, improve fraud protection and gain better real-time visibility into your business accounts and merchant processing, contact Surety’s Treasury Services Department to discuss business accounts and merchant accounts with built-in protection.
As more banking moves online, security has become just as important as convenience. Whether you’re checking a personal account or managing company finances, your computer habits play a critical role in keeping your information safe. A few consistent practices can greatly reduce your risk of fraud and protect sensitive data.
Malware can capture keystrokes, steal login credentials, and access personal files without you realizing it. To stay protected:
Make full use of the security tools your devices and bank provide:
Closing your browser window isn’t enough to end your session.
Browsers can store sensitive information like login pages or cached credentials. To protect yourself:
Phishing emails and fraudulent pop-ups can trick you into giving away banking information. Watch for:
Best practice: Always access your bank by typing the official web address directly into your browser, never through email or ad links.
Businesses face higher risks, so proactive steps are essential:
Online banking can be safe and reliable when paired with good cybersecurity habits. By:
…you can protect both your finances and your peace of mind.
The key is consistency. Security isn’t a one-time task—it’s a set of habits built into your everyday banking routine. Taking these steps ensures your accounts remain secure, your sensitive information stays private, and you can manage your finances confidently, whether personally or for your business.
Cash flow is the lifeblood of any business. Whether you're managing a commercial construction firm or running a retail operation, understanding how money moves in and out of your business is key to long-term success. Poor cash flow management can leave businesses scrambling to cover expenses, even when profits look good on paper.
A recent episode of the Expandable Series discussed this in detail, but here are some fundamental cash flow principles, using commercial construction as an example, that apply to businesses across all industries.
1. Understand Your Cash Outflows
In commercial construction, significant cash outlays are required upfront for raw materials, permits, and labor. These costs must be covered well before payments from clients arrive. Similarly, in retail, manufacturers need to purchase inventory long before customers make a purchase.
A business must have enough cash on hand to cover these expenses. Without it, operations may stall, delaying projects and impacting profitability. Understanding your cash needs ahead of time ensures smoother financial management.
Example: Imagine a mid-sized construction firm, Apex Builders, takes on a new commercial office project. Before the first payment arrives, they must pay for steel beams, concrete, and skilled labor. Without proper cash reserves or a well-structured payment schedule, Apex Builders could struggle to cover these costs, potentially halting the project and damaging their reputation.
2. Time Your Cash Inflows Strategically
Revenue in commercial construction typically comes from milestone payments throughout a project or upon completion. However, these payments can be delayed due to contract terms, client approvals, or unexpected issues.
For any business, it’s essential to analyze how long it takes to convert expenses into revenue. Are you waiting 30, 60, or even 90 days to get paid? If so, your business must be structured to withstand these gaps. Ensuring that your contract terms align with your cash flow needs can prevent unnecessary financial strain.
Example: Apex Builders structures their contracts to ensure payments are received at key milestones—such as after the foundation is laid, after framing is completed, and upon final inspection. By planning these payment intervals, they reduce financial stress and ensure they always have working capital.
3. Build a Cash Buffer
One of the best strategies for managing cash flow is to build a buffer that accounts for timing discrepancies. In construction, this means having enough reserves to cover payroll and material costs while waiting for payments. The same principle applies to any business with delayed payments.
This buffer should be built into your pricing. Instead of operating on razor-thin margins, factor in potential delays and unexpected costs when setting your rates. This ensures financial stability even during slower payment periods.
Example: Apex Builders includes a 10% contingency in their project bids, ensuring that if a client delays payment or unexpected costs arise, they have the liquidity to keep operations running smoothly.
4. Plan for Payroll and Fixed Expenses
Payroll is a non-negotiable expense in any business. Employees expect timely paychecks, and failure to meet payroll obligations can lead to operational disruptions and even legal consequences.
Since payroll and other fixed expenses (like rent, utilities, and insurance) don’t change based on revenue fluctuations, they must be accounted for in advance. Forecasting these expenses over the next quarter will help ensure you always have the necessary funds available.
Example: Apex Builders schedules payments from previous projects to help cover payroll during slow months, ensuring that employees are always paid on time.
5. Look Ahead to the Next Quarter
Successful businesses don’t just think about today’s cash flow—they plan for the next quarter and beyond. What projects are in the pipeline? When will revenue from those projects be realized? What expenses need to be covered in the meantime?
By forecasting cash flow and preparing for potential shortfalls, businesses can make informed decisions about when to invest, when to hold back, and when to seek additional financing options to bridge any gaps.
Example: Apex Builders maintain a rolling cash flow projection, helping them anticipate slow periods and ensuring they never take on more projects than they can financially support at one time.
The Bottom Line
Cash flow management isn’t just about tracking numbers—it’s about planning ahead, building flexibility into your pricing, and ensuring your business can withstand the natural ebbs and flows of financial cycles. Whether you’re in commercial construction, retail, or any other industry, mastering cash flow is essential for long-term success. Surety Bank is here to help businesses navigate these challenges with financial solutions designed to keep operations running smoothly.
Tax season often brings an increase in check fraud activity, and we are currently seeing specific patterns in several markets. Based on recent site visits and bankwide data, fraud trends include altered checks, fraudulent IDs, and tax refund schemes that can put MSBs at risk.
Fraud is not evenly distributed across the country. Recent analysis shows:
Understanding these localized trends can help MSBs tailor their detection and prevention efforts based on where their business operates.
Why Fraud Is Often Missed
In busy MSB settings, tellers and staff are under pressure to process customers quickly. Fast service is important, but it should not come at the expense of proper verification. Common reasons fraud is missed include:
Slowing down when suspicious signals appear can prevent significant losses later.
One of the most common fraud methods involves chemical alteration (sometimes called “check washing”), where fraudsters remove original payee information and rewrite it.
How to detect it:
Areas that glow differently often indicate tampering.
Even if the check has no embedded security feature, an altered area will reflect under UV light in a way that the original paper will not.
Fraud prevention is not only about tools. People exhibit behavior that often signals something is wrong:
Watch for customers who:
These behaviors, when combined with instrument anomalies, are stronger indicators of fraud.
In some cases, the check is real, but the transaction context is not. A common example seen in Michigan:
These patterns suggest the check itself may be authentic, but the process that generated it was fraudulent. The bank will eventually identify the issue, but MSBs may face loss if the check is returned.
Slowing down and asking questions helps you protect your business from future exposure.
It’s natural to want to avoid losing a small fee by turning away a suspicious check. However, a rushed decision can expose your business to a much higher loss when a check is returned or fails later verification.
Protecting your business means:
When fraud is prevented at the front line, the long-term financial health of your business is protected.
For many residents of DeLand, the airport on the north side of town feels like a world of its own. Planes climb into the sky daily. Parachutes bloom overhead. Visitors arrive from across the globe. What many may not realize is that Skydive DeLand is not only a local attraction. It is one of the most influential skydiving centers in the world.
Skydive DeLand began operations in 1982, taking over a location that had already seen continuous skydiving activity since 1958. From its earliest days, the company was led by competitors at the highest level of the sport. Both founders were National Champions, and one went on to achieve the title of World Champion in four-person team competition.
That competitive ambition changed the sport.
To pursue world-class performance, the founders enhanced the way teams trained. They invested in aircraft, facilities, personnel, and infrastructure that allowed for intensive, structured team training. At the time, very few drop zones operated seven days a week. Skydive DeLand quickly became a full-time operation, open year-round.
As teams discovered the level of support and consistency available in DeLand, they began traveling here from all over the world. What started as a training philosophy became a global destination.
For many years, Skydive DeLand was recognized as the most active skydiving center in the world.
As training programs expanded, so did the industry surrounding them. Equipment manufacturers began relocating to DeLand in order to test new parachute designs and innovations in real-world conditions.
Today, more than 20 skydiving-related companies operate in the DeLand area. Together, they form the largest parachute equipment manufacturing cluster in the world. Skydive DeLand serves as the anchor for that ecosystem.
Manufacturers rely on the consistent jump activity to test new canopies and equipment designs. Similar to how automotive companies rely on test tracks, skydiving manufacturers rely on active drop zones.
The result is that DeLand became known internationally as the Skydiving Capital of the World. Travelers from Europe, South America, and across the United States continue to visit year after year, particularly during the late winter and spring seasons when weather conditions are ideal.
Beyond competitions and equipment development, Skydive DeLand has fostered a global community.
Teams train here for weeks or months at a time. Large events have attracted hundreds of participants. National championships have been hosted here. At any given time, visitors may be staying in local hotels, RVs, or short-term rentals.
That international presence supports tourism, local hospitality, and small businesses throughout DeLand. A past industry census estimated more than 600 jobs connected directly or indirectly to the skydiving and equipment manufacturing sector.
During economic downturns, when other industries struggled, Skydive DeLand remained strong. Tandem jumps and recreational experiences continued to attract visitors. Equipment manufacturing remained active. That stability helped support the broader local economy during difficult periods.
The people who make up the skydiving community are also deeply engaged locally. Many longtime jumpers and industry professionals participate in other civic and community activities throughout DeLand. For those who retire from jumping, many continue to invest their energy in the town they have come to call home.
In 2025, the Skydive DeLand community experienced a devastating loss.
Bob Hallett, one of the two original founders and the majority shareholder of the company, passed away unexpectedly following a traffic accident on his way to work. He had been with the company since its early days and remained actively involved in daily operations.
Bob was not only a business leader but a central figure in the skydiving community. His vision and commitment helped shape Skydive DeLand into the global leader it became. His passing deeply affected employees, jumpers, manufacturers, and longtime friends across the industry.
For a company that has operated as both a workplace and a close-knit community, the loss was profound. Yet the legacy he helped build continues in the culture, the operations, and the global impact of the organization.
One story reflects just how far Skydive DeLand’s reach extends. A local Stetson professor once attended a conference in Taiwan and turned on the television in his hotel room. There was a feature about Skydive DeLand. He returned home surprised to discover that an internationally recognized skydiving center operated just minutes from where he lived.
That story captures something unique about Skydive DeLand. It has put DeLand on the world map, even if some residents are not fully aware of what happens at the airport each day.
Visitors are welcome to observe jumps from the viewing areas or enjoy the adjacent restaurant deck. Others choose to experience a tandem jump. Some begin lifelong careers in the sport. Whether someone comes to watch or to participate, Skydive DeLand remains open and active every day.
For more information, visit SkyDiveDeLand.com to learn about tandem experiences, training programs, and upcoming events.
Skydive DeLand is more than a drop zone. It is a global training center, an innovation hub, and a long-standing contributor to the DeLand community. Its history reflects ambition, resilience, and a deep commitment to both sport and town.
At first glance, a checking account is a checking account. Money comes in, money goes out, and you check the balance when you need to. But the day you start running a business, the rules change, because the risk changes. Business accounts aren’t just “bigger” consumer accounts. They typically handle more transactions, more users, more payment types, and more moving parts.
There’s another key difference many owners don’t realize until it’s too late: business accounts generally do not have the same level of consumer protections that consumer (personal) accounts do. When something goes wrong, the process, timelines, and potential liability can look very different. That’s why fraud prevention for businesses isn’t optional. It’s operational.
Consumer (personal) accounts are usually simpler:
Business accounts are different by design:
And because business accounts are treated differently than consumer accounts, the responsibility to monitor activity and catch issues early often rests more heavily on the business.
Most business owners are busy. Delegating bookkeeping is smart, because your time is valuable. But delegation without visibility is where risk grows, especially when one person has end-to-end control.
Internal fraud often looks like:
It’s rarely dramatic at the beginning. It’s usually quiet, incremental, and designed not to be noticed.
Consider Lisa, who owns a growing medical practice. She hired a bookkeeper to “handle the finances” and assumed monthly reports were enough. Lisa rarely reviewed actual transactions unless something felt off.
Over time, the bookkeeper began issuing checks to a vendor that sounded legitimate. The amounts were small—$180 here, $250 there—coded as routine office supplies. The practice was busy, revenue was strong, and nothing looked “wrong” at a high level.
Six months later, Lisa’s accountant flagged unusual expense patterns during a quarterly review. By then, the total loss wasn’t a rounding error. It was meaningful, and the cleanup took time, created stress, and required uncomfortable conversations. The hardest part wasn’t just the money; it was realizing the problem could have been caught early with simple, consistent oversight.
You don’t need to become your own bookkeeper. You just need a rhythm of review that helps you spot unusual activity quickly, especially because business accounts don’t always come with the same consumer-style protections.
Try these straightforward habits:
Strong habits matter, but systems are what help you scale safely. Depending on your business, ask about tools such as:
Surety Bank can help you evaluate which controls fit your operation, set permissions correctly, and implement tools like Positive Pay in a way that’s practical—not burdensome. The goal is to put guardrails in place that make fraud harder to commit and easier to catch, without slowing down your business.
Residential accounts are often simpler and tend to come with broader consumer-style protections. Business accounts operate differently—more volume, more access, more complexity, and often less built-in protection. That’s why vigilance isn’t just a best practice; it’s part of responsible business ownership.
Fraud prevention isn’t about paranoia. It’s about professionalism: review regularly, limit access wisely, and build systems that protect your business long before problems appear.
For cash-heavy businesses, deposit routines are not just an operations detail. They are a security issue, a controls issue, and often a cash-flow issue. When business cash gets deposited “personally,” meaning an owner or employee deposits cash through personal banking habits or into the wrong account, it can blur your recordkeeping and weaken internal controls. The IRS notes it is a good idea to keep separate business and personal accounts because it makes recordkeeping easier. The U.S. Small Business Administration also emphasizes separating funds by using a dedicated business bank account to keep bookkeeping clean and accurate.
Just as important is the security perspective. Regularly sending someone to the bank with cash exposes employees to real risk, and it creates a predictable pattern that can be exploited. The ABA Banking Journal has noted that too many cash-handling touch points, including trips to the bank, increase risk and can put employees in physical danger. Brink’s similarly points out that employees are exposed to theft risk when transporting cash, and that partnering with trained cash logistics professionals can reduce the risk of theft and increase accountability through secure transport procedures.
Some businesses try to replace bank runs with a courier pickup, but not every courier model is designed for cash. Cash transportation is high-risk, and the best solution is typically a purpose-built cash logistics provider whose job is secure cash handling, documentation, and transport. Trained cash logistics professionals and armored services are structured to reduce theft exposure and strengthen chain-of-custody and accountability, which is fundamentally different from general delivery services.
Surety Bank’s Smart Safe is designed specifically for cash-heavy businesses that want stronger security and a cleaner, more reliable deposit process. Surety explains that, through its partnership with Loomis, Smart Safe lets your business deposit cash on-site, receive provisional credit to your Surety Bank account, and eliminate unnecessary bank runs. From a security standpoint, Surety highlights benefits like real-time tracking of deposits, enhanced security for cash and employees, and better accountability with fewer cash shortages.
From a cash-flow standpoint, Surety’s process is built around speed. You enter the amount, deposit the cash into the Smart Safe device, and Surety provides provisional credit to your business account based on that entry. Loomis also describes provisional credit as daily credit for cash deposits without having to go to the bank, reducing time and helping reduce the risk of robbery outside the store.
If your business handles cash, the goal is to reduce handling, reduce trips, and reduce uncertainty. A strong plan usually includes keeping all business cash activity in business accounts and processes with clear documentation and daily reconciliation, minimizing manual bank runs, and using a Smart Safe with a professional cash logistics partner so deposits are tracked and transport is handled by specialists.
Contact our Treasury Services department today to learn how Smart Safe can help you strengthen security, simplify deposits, and improve visibility into your cash.
Adding a new product or service can significantly increase revenue for an MSB. Whether it is money transmission, ATM services, or another offering, early coordination with the bank helps ensure your new service launches smoothly and begins generating income as quickly as possible.
Many service-related delays occur when new offerings are added without notifying the bank in advance.
Each product or service comes with specific monitoring, reporting, and account requirements. The bank must be able to review activity accurately and ensure it aligns with regulatory expectations.
When a new service is launched without notice, activity may flow into the wrong account or lack required reporting. Fixing these issues after the service is live often causes delays or temporary interruptions.
ATM Services
If you are adding an ATM, the bank typically requires:
ATM activity cannot be combined with other MSB transactions due to reconciliation and compliance requirements.
Money Transmission Services
This includes services such as Western Union or other money transfer providers.
While these services may not require a separate account, they do require monthly reporting. At a minimum, reports must include:
These reports allow the bank to identify patterns, monitor risk, and meet regulatory obligations.
Even if a third-party provider has its own compliance program, the bank is still responsible for monitoring the activity flowing through your accounts.
Some MSBs assume that because a vendor manages compliance on their side, the bank does not need reporting. This is a common misconception. Ultimately, the funds flow through the bank, and the bank must conduct its own review.
Failing to provide required reporting can delay approvals, reviews, and future expansion plans.
Adding services often requires:
When these steps are completed in advance, services can go live quickly. When handled after launch, they often result in delays, holds, or additional review.
Growth is a positive step for any MSB. Whether you are adding a new product, service, or location, early communication with the bank helps ensure the process is efficient and compliant.
Starting the conversation early allows the bank to guide you, prepare properly, and help you move forward with fewer obstacles and less frustration.
If expansion is even a possibility, reaching out now can save significant time later.
Opening a new location is an exciting milestone for any MSB. New storefronts mean new customers, increased volume, and business growth. However, opening a new branch also brings additional banking, compliance, and operational requirements that must be completed before you can begin operating.
One of the most common causes of delayed openings is a lack of early or consistent communication with the bank. When the bank is informed early and kept in the loop, the process moves faster and far more smoothly.
From the bank’s perspective, opening a new MSB location is not simply adding another address. There are multiple regulatory, licensing, and operational steps that must be completed before the first transaction can take place.
We often see situations where a customer notifies the bank months in advance, receives a checklist of required items, then communication stops. When the customer reconnects and is ready to open, none of the required steps have been completed. At that point, the bank cannot approve activity, even if the storefront is ready.
Consistent communication ensures both sides stay aligned and prevents last-minute delays.
Depending on the state, services offered, and geographic location, opening a new branch may require:
Even experienced MSBs are sometimes surprised to learn that requirements vary by state and location. A location that works in one market may require different preparation in another.
Many MSBs assume that once a lease is signed and the store is ready, operations can begin immediately. From a banking and regulatory standpoint, this is not always the case.
If required licenses, amendments, or system testing are not completed, the bank cannot allow the location to operate. This is not meant to slow down your business. It is meant to protect both your operation and the bank from compliance violations.
The most efficient openings share a few things in common:
When communication stays consistent, opening timelines are shorter, approvals are smoother, and unexpected delays are far less likely.
Tax season often brings an increase in check fraud activity, and we are currently seeing specific patterns in several markets. Based on recent site visits and bankwide data, fraud trends include altered checks, fraudulent IDs, and tax refund schemes that can put MSBs at risk.
Fraud is not evenly distributed across the country. Recent analysis shows:
Understanding these localized trends can help MSBs tailor their detection and prevention efforts based on where their business operates.
Why Fraud Is Often Missed
In busy MSB settings, tellers and staff are under pressure to process customers quickly. Fast service is important, but it should not come at the expense of proper verification. Common reasons fraud is missed include:
Slowing down when suspicious signals appear can prevent significant losses later.
One of the most common fraud methods involves chemical alteration (sometimes called “check washing”), where fraudsters remove original payee information and rewrite it.
How to detect it:
Areas that glow differently often indicate tampering.
Even if the check has no embedded security feature, an altered area will reflect under UV light in a way that the original paper will not.
Fraud prevention is not only about tools. People exhibit behavior that often signals something is wrong:
Watch for customers who:
These behaviors, when combined with instrument anomalies, are stronger indicators of fraud.
In some cases, the check is real, but the transaction context is not. A common example seen in Michigan:
These patterns suggest the check itself may be authentic, but the process that generated it was fraudulent. The bank will eventually identify the issue, but MSBs may face loss if the check is returned.
Slowing down and asking questions helps you protect your business from future exposure.
It’s natural to want to avoid losing a small fee by turning away a suspicious check. However, a rushed decision can expose your business to a much higher loss when a check is returned or fails later verification.
Protecting your business means:
When fraud is prevented at the front line, the long-term financial health of your business is protected.
For many residents of DeLand, the airport on the north side of town feels like a world of its own. Planes climb into the sky daily. Parachutes bloom overhead. Visitors arrive from across the globe. What many may not realize is that Skydive DeLand is not only a local attraction. It is one of the most influential skydiving centers in the world.
Skydive DeLand began operations in 1982, taking over a location that had already seen continuous skydiving activity since 1958. From its earliest days, the company was led by competitors at the highest level of the sport. Both founders were National Champions, and one went on to achieve the title of World Champion in four-person team competition.
That competitive ambition changed the sport.
To pursue world-class performance, the founders enhanced the way teams trained. They invested in aircraft, facilities, personnel, and infrastructure that allowed for intensive, structured team training. At the time, very few drop zones operated seven days a week. Skydive DeLand quickly became a full-time operation, open year-round.
As teams discovered the level of support and consistency available in DeLand, they began traveling here from all over the world. What started as a training philosophy became a global destination.
For many years, Skydive DeLand was recognized as the most active skydiving center in the world.
As training programs expanded, so did the industry surrounding them. Equipment manufacturers began relocating to DeLand in order to test new parachute designs and innovations in real-world conditions.
Today, more than 20 skydiving-related companies operate in the DeLand area. Together, they form the largest parachute equipment manufacturing cluster in the world. Skydive DeLand serves as the anchor for that ecosystem.
Manufacturers rely on the consistent jump activity to test new canopies and equipment designs. Similar to how automotive companies rely on test tracks, skydiving manufacturers rely on active drop zones.
The result is that DeLand became known internationally as the Skydiving Capital of the World. Travelers from Europe, South America, and across the United States continue to visit year after year, particularly during the late winter and spring seasons when weather conditions are ideal.
Beyond competitions and equipment development, Skydive DeLand has fostered a global community.
Teams train here for weeks or months at a time. Large events have attracted hundreds of participants. National championships have been hosted here. At any given time, visitors may be staying in local hotels, RVs, or short-term rentals.
That international presence supports tourism, local hospitality, and small businesses throughout DeLand. A past industry census estimated more than 600 jobs connected directly or indirectly to the skydiving and equipment manufacturing sector.
During economic downturns, when other industries struggled, Skydive DeLand remained strong. Tandem jumps and recreational experiences continued to attract visitors. Equipment manufacturing remained active. That stability helped support the broader local economy during difficult periods.
The people who make up the skydiving community are also deeply engaged locally. Many longtime jumpers and industry professionals participate in other civic and community activities throughout DeLand. For those who retire from jumping, many continue to invest their energy in the town they have come to call home.
In 2025, the Skydive DeLand community experienced a devastating loss.
Bob Hallett, one of the two original founders and the majority shareholder of the company, passed away unexpectedly following a traffic accident on his way to work. He had been with the company since its early days and remained actively involved in daily operations.
Bob was not only a business leader but a central figure in the skydiving community. His vision and commitment helped shape Skydive DeLand into the global leader it became. His passing deeply affected employees, jumpers, manufacturers, and longtime friends across the industry.
For a company that has operated as both a workplace and a close-knit community, the loss was profound. Yet the legacy he helped build continues in the culture, the operations, and the global impact of the organization.
One story reflects just how far Skydive DeLand’s reach extends. A local Stetson professor once attended a conference in Taiwan and turned on the television in his hotel room. There was a feature about Skydive DeLand. He returned home surprised to discover that an internationally recognized skydiving center operated just minutes from where he lived.
That story captures something unique about Skydive DeLand. It has put DeLand on the world map, even if some residents are not fully aware of what happens at the airport each day.
Visitors are welcome to observe jumps from the viewing areas or enjoy the adjacent restaurant deck. Others choose to experience a tandem jump. Some begin lifelong careers in the sport. Whether someone comes to watch or to participate, Skydive DeLand remains open and active every day.
For more information, visit SkyDiveDeLand.com to learn about tandem experiences, training programs, and upcoming events.
Skydive DeLand is more than a drop zone. It is a global training center, an innovation hub, and a long-standing contributor to the DeLand community. Its history reflects ambition, resilience, and a deep commitment to both sport and town.
At first glance, a checking account is a checking account. Money comes in, money goes out, and you check the balance when you need to. But the day you start running a business, the rules change, because the risk changes. Business accounts aren’t just “bigger” consumer accounts. They typically handle more transactions, more users, more payment types, and more moving parts.
There’s another key difference many owners don’t realize until it’s too late: business accounts generally do not have the same level of consumer protections that consumer (personal) accounts do. When something goes wrong, the process, timelines, and potential liability can look very different. That’s why fraud prevention for businesses isn’t optional. It’s operational.
Consumer (personal) accounts are usually simpler:
Business accounts are different by design:
And because business accounts are treated differently than consumer accounts, the responsibility to monitor activity and catch issues early often rests more heavily on the business.
Most business owners are busy. Delegating bookkeeping is smart, because your time is valuable. But delegation without visibility is where risk grows, especially when one person has end-to-end control.
Internal fraud often looks like:
It’s rarely dramatic at the beginning. It’s usually quiet, incremental, and designed not to be noticed.
Consider Lisa, who owns a growing medical practice. She hired a bookkeeper to “handle the finances” and assumed monthly reports were enough. Lisa rarely reviewed actual transactions unless something felt off.
Over time, the bookkeeper began issuing checks to a vendor that sounded legitimate. The amounts were small—$180 here, $250 there—coded as routine office supplies. The practice was busy, revenue was strong, and nothing looked “wrong” at a high level.
Six months later, Lisa’s accountant flagged unusual expense patterns during a quarterly review. By then, the total loss wasn’t a rounding error. It was meaningful, and the cleanup took time, created stress, and required uncomfortable conversations. The hardest part wasn’t just the money; it was realizing the problem could have been caught early with simple, consistent oversight.
You don’t need to become your own bookkeeper. You just need a rhythm of review that helps you spot unusual activity quickly, especially because business accounts don’t always come with the same consumer-style protections.
Try these straightforward habits:
Strong habits matter, but systems are what help you scale safely. Depending on your business, ask about tools such as:
Surety Bank can help you evaluate which controls fit your operation, set permissions correctly, and implement tools like Positive Pay in a way that’s practical—not burdensome. The goal is to put guardrails in place that make fraud harder to commit and easier to catch, without slowing down your business.
Residential accounts are often simpler and tend to come with broader consumer-style protections. Business accounts operate differently—more volume, more access, more complexity, and often less built-in protection. That’s why vigilance isn’t just a best practice; it’s part of responsible business ownership.
Fraud prevention isn’t about paranoia. It’s about professionalism: review regularly, limit access wisely, and build systems that protect your business long before problems appear.
For cash-heavy businesses, deposit routines are not just an operations detail. They are a security issue, a controls issue, and often a cash-flow issue. When business cash gets deposited “personally,” meaning an owner or employee deposits cash through personal banking habits or into the wrong account, it can blur your recordkeeping and weaken internal controls. The IRS notes it is a good idea to keep separate business and personal accounts because it makes recordkeeping easier. The U.S. Small Business Administration also emphasizes separating funds by using a dedicated business bank account to keep bookkeeping clean and accurate.
Just as important is the security perspective. Regularly sending someone to the bank with cash exposes employees to real risk, and it creates a predictable pattern that can be exploited. The ABA Banking Journal has noted that too many cash-handling touch points, including trips to the bank, increase risk and can put employees in physical danger. Brink’s similarly points out that employees are exposed to theft risk when transporting cash, and that partnering with trained cash logistics professionals can reduce the risk of theft and increase accountability through secure transport procedures.
Some businesses try to replace bank runs with a courier pickup, but not every courier model is designed for cash. Cash transportation is high-risk, and the best solution is typically a purpose-built cash logistics provider whose job is secure cash handling, documentation, and transport. Trained cash logistics professionals and armored services are structured to reduce theft exposure and strengthen chain-of-custody and accountability, which is fundamentally different from general delivery services.
Surety Bank’s Smart Safe is designed specifically for cash-heavy businesses that want stronger security and a cleaner, more reliable deposit process. Surety explains that, through its partnership with Loomis, Smart Safe lets your business deposit cash on-site, receive provisional credit to your Surety Bank account, and eliminate unnecessary bank runs. From a security standpoint, Surety highlights benefits like real-time tracking of deposits, enhanced security for cash and employees, and better accountability with fewer cash shortages.
From a cash-flow standpoint, Surety’s process is built around speed. You enter the amount, deposit the cash into the Smart Safe device, and Surety provides provisional credit to your business account based on that entry. Loomis also describes provisional credit as daily credit for cash deposits without having to go to the bank, reducing time and helping reduce the risk of robbery outside the store.
If your business handles cash, the goal is to reduce handling, reduce trips, and reduce uncertainty. A strong plan usually includes keeping all business cash activity in business accounts and processes with clear documentation and daily reconciliation, minimizing manual bank runs, and using a Smart Safe with a professional cash logistics partner so deposits are tracked and transport is handled by specialists.
Contact our Treasury Services department today to learn how Smart Safe can help you strengthen security, simplify deposits, and improve visibility into your cash.
Adding a new product or service can significantly increase revenue for an MSB. Whether it is money transmission, ATM services, or another offering, early coordination with the bank helps ensure your new service launches smoothly and begins generating income as quickly as possible.
Many service-related delays occur when new offerings are added without notifying the bank in advance.
Each product or service comes with specific monitoring, reporting, and account requirements. The bank must be able to review activity accurately and ensure it aligns with regulatory expectations.
When a new service is launched without notice, activity may flow into the wrong account or lack required reporting. Fixing these issues after the service is live often causes delays or temporary interruptions.
ATM Services
If you are adding an ATM, the bank typically requires:
ATM activity cannot be combined with other MSB transactions due to reconciliation and compliance requirements.
Money Transmission Services
This includes services such as Western Union or other money transfer providers.
While these services may not require a separate account, they do require monthly reporting. At a minimum, reports must include:
These reports allow the bank to identify patterns, monitor risk, and meet regulatory obligations.
Even if a third-party provider has its own compliance program, the bank is still responsible for monitoring the activity flowing through your accounts.
Some MSBs assume that because a vendor manages compliance on their side, the bank does not need reporting. This is a common misconception. Ultimately, the funds flow through the bank, and the bank must conduct its own review.
Failing to provide required reporting can delay approvals, reviews, and future expansion plans.
Adding services often requires:
When these steps are completed in advance, services can go live quickly. When handled after launch, they often result in delays, holds, or additional review.
Growth is a positive step for any MSB. Whether you are adding a new product, service, or location, early communication with the bank helps ensure the process is efficient and compliant.
Starting the conversation early allows the bank to guide you, prepare properly, and help you move forward with fewer obstacles and less frustration.
If expansion is even a possibility, reaching out now can save significant time later.
Opening a new location is an exciting milestone for any MSB. New storefronts mean new customers, increased volume, and business growth. However, opening a new branch also brings additional banking, compliance, and operational requirements that must be completed before you can begin operating.
One of the most common causes of delayed openings is a lack of early or consistent communication with the bank. When the bank is informed early and kept in the loop, the process moves faster and far more smoothly.
From the bank’s perspective, opening a new MSB location is not simply adding another address. There are multiple regulatory, licensing, and operational steps that must be completed before the first transaction can take place.
We often see situations where a customer notifies the bank months in advance, receives a checklist of required items, then communication stops. When the customer reconnects and is ready to open, none of the required steps have been completed. At that point, the bank cannot approve activity, even if the storefront is ready.
Consistent communication ensures both sides stay aligned and prevents last-minute delays.
Depending on the state, services offered, and geographic location, opening a new branch may require:
Even experienced MSBs are sometimes surprised to learn that requirements vary by state and location. A location that works in one market may require different preparation in another.
Many MSBs assume that once a lease is signed and the store is ready, operations can begin immediately. From a banking and regulatory standpoint, this is not always the case.
If required licenses, amendments, or system testing are not completed, the bank cannot allow the location to operate. This is not meant to slow down your business. It is meant to protect both your operation and the bank from compliance violations.
The most efficient openings share a few things in common:
When communication stays consistent, opening timelines are shorter, approvals are smoother, and unexpected delays are far less likely.
Tax season often brings an increase in check fraud activity, and we are currently seeing specific patterns in several markets. Based on recent site visits and bankwide data, fraud trends include altered checks, fraudulent IDs, and tax refund schemes that can put MSBs at risk.
Fraud is not evenly distributed across the country. Recent analysis shows:
Understanding these localized trends can help MSBs tailor their detection and prevention efforts based on where their business operates.
Why Fraud Is Often Missed
In busy MSB settings, tellers and staff are under pressure to process customers quickly. Fast service is important, but it should not come at the expense of proper verification. Common reasons fraud is missed include:
Slowing down when suspicious signals appear can prevent significant losses later.
One of the most common fraud methods involves chemical alteration (sometimes called “check washing”), where fraudsters remove original payee information and rewrite it.
How to detect it:
Areas that glow differently often indicate tampering.
Even if the check has no embedded security feature, an altered area will reflect under UV light in a way that the original paper will not.
Fraud prevention is not only about tools. People exhibit behavior that often signals something is wrong:
Watch for customers who:
These behaviors, when combined with instrument anomalies, are stronger indicators of fraud.
In some cases, the check is real, but the transaction context is not. A common example seen in Michigan:
These patterns suggest the check itself may be authentic, but the process that generated it was fraudulent. The bank will eventually identify the issue, but MSBs may face loss if the check is returned.
Slowing down and asking questions helps you protect your business from future exposure.
It’s natural to want to avoid losing a small fee by turning away a suspicious check. However, a rushed decision can expose your business to a much higher loss when a check is returned or fails later verification.
Protecting your business means:
When fraud is prevented at the front line, the long-term financial health of your business is protected.
For many residents of DeLand, the airport on the north side of town feels like a world of its own. Planes climb into the sky daily. Parachutes bloom overhead. Visitors arrive from across the globe. What many may not realize is that Skydive DeLand is not only a local attraction. It is one of the most influential skydiving centers in the world.
Skydive DeLand began operations in 1982, taking over a location that had already seen continuous skydiving activity since 1958. From its earliest days, the company was led by competitors at the highest level of the sport. Both founders were National Champions, and one went on to achieve the title of World Champion in four-person team competition.
That competitive ambition changed the sport.
To pursue world-class performance, the founders enhanced the way teams trained. They invested in aircraft, facilities, personnel, and infrastructure that allowed for intensive, structured team training. At the time, very few drop zones operated seven days a week. Skydive DeLand quickly became a full-time operation, open year-round.
As teams discovered the level of support and consistency available in DeLand, they began traveling here from all over the world. What started as a training philosophy became a global destination.
For many years, Skydive DeLand was recognized as the most active skydiving center in the world.
As training programs expanded, so did the industry surrounding them. Equipment manufacturers began relocating to DeLand in order to test new parachute designs and innovations in real-world conditions.
Today, more than 20 skydiving-related companies operate in the DeLand area. Together, they form the largest parachute equipment manufacturing cluster in the world. Skydive DeLand serves as the anchor for that ecosystem.
Manufacturers rely on the consistent jump activity to test new canopies and equipment designs. Similar to how automotive companies rely on test tracks, skydiving manufacturers rely on active drop zones.
The result is that DeLand became known internationally as the Skydiving Capital of the World. Travelers from Europe, South America, and across the United States continue to visit year after year, particularly during the late winter and spring seasons when weather conditions are ideal.
Beyond competitions and equipment development, Skydive DeLand has fostered a global community.
Teams train here for weeks or months at a time. Large events have attracted hundreds of participants. National championships have been hosted here. At any given time, visitors may be staying in local hotels, RVs, or short-term rentals.
That international presence supports tourism, local hospitality, and small businesses throughout DeLand. A past industry census estimated more than 600 jobs connected directly or indirectly to the skydiving and equipment manufacturing sector.
During economic downturns, when other industries struggled, Skydive DeLand remained strong. Tandem jumps and recreational experiences continued to attract visitors. Equipment manufacturing remained active. That stability helped support the broader local economy during difficult periods.
The people who make up the skydiving community are also deeply engaged locally. Many longtime jumpers and industry professionals participate in other civic and community activities throughout DeLand. For those who retire from jumping, many continue to invest their energy in the town they have come to call home.
In 2025, the Skydive DeLand community experienced a devastating loss.
Bob Hallett, one of the two original founders and the majority shareholder of the company, passed away unexpectedly following a traffic accident on his way to work. He had been with the company since its early days and remained actively involved in daily operations.
Bob was not only a business leader but a central figure in the skydiving community. His vision and commitment helped shape Skydive DeLand into the global leader it became. His passing deeply affected employees, jumpers, manufacturers, and longtime friends across the industry.
For a company that has operated as both a workplace and a close-knit community, the loss was profound. Yet the legacy he helped build continues in the culture, the operations, and the global impact of the organization.
One story reflects just how far Skydive DeLand’s reach extends. A local Stetson professor once attended a conference in Taiwan and turned on the television in his hotel room. There was a feature about Skydive DeLand. He returned home surprised to discover that an internationally recognized skydiving center operated just minutes from where he lived.
That story captures something unique about Skydive DeLand. It has put DeLand on the world map, even if some residents are not fully aware of what happens at the airport each day.
Visitors are welcome to observe jumps from the viewing areas or enjoy the adjacent restaurant deck. Others choose to experience a tandem jump. Some begin lifelong careers in the sport. Whether someone comes to watch or to participate, Skydive DeLand remains open and active every day.
For more information, visit SkyDiveDeLand.com to learn about tandem experiences, training programs, and upcoming events.
Skydive DeLand is more than a drop zone. It is a global training center, an innovation hub, and a long-standing contributor to the DeLand community. Its history reflects ambition, resilience, and a deep commitment to both sport and town.
At first glance, a checking account is a checking account. Money comes in, money goes out, and you check the balance when you need to. But the day you start running a business, the rules change, because the risk changes. Business accounts aren’t just “bigger” consumer accounts. They typically handle more transactions, more users, more payment types, and more moving parts.
There’s another key difference many owners don’t realize until it’s too late: business accounts generally do not have the same level of consumer protections that consumer (personal) accounts do. When something goes wrong, the process, timelines, and potential liability can look very different. That’s why fraud prevention for businesses isn’t optional. It’s operational.
Consumer (personal) accounts are usually simpler:
Business accounts are different by design:
And because business accounts are treated differently than consumer accounts, the responsibility to monitor activity and catch issues early often rests more heavily on the business.
Most business owners are busy. Delegating bookkeeping is smart, because your time is valuable. But delegation without visibility is where risk grows, especially when one person has end-to-end control.
Internal fraud often looks like:
It’s rarely dramatic at the beginning. It’s usually quiet, incremental, and designed not to be noticed.
Consider Lisa, who owns a growing medical practice. She hired a bookkeeper to “handle the finances” and assumed monthly reports were enough. Lisa rarely reviewed actual transactions unless something felt off.
Over time, the bookkeeper began issuing checks to a vendor that sounded legitimate. The amounts were small—$180 here, $250 there—coded as routine office supplies. The practice was busy, revenue was strong, and nothing looked “wrong” at a high level.
Six months later, Lisa’s accountant flagged unusual expense patterns during a quarterly review. By then, the total loss wasn’t a rounding error. It was meaningful, and the cleanup took time, created stress, and required uncomfortable conversations. The hardest part wasn’t just the money; it was realizing the problem could have been caught early with simple, consistent oversight.
You don’t need to become your own bookkeeper. You just need a rhythm of review that helps you spot unusual activity quickly, especially because business accounts don’t always come with the same consumer-style protections.
Try these straightforward habits:
Strong habits matter, but systems are what help you scale safely. Depending on your business, ask about tools such as:
Surety Bank can help you evaluate which controls fit your operation, set permissions correctly, and implement tools like Positive Pay in a way that’s practical—not burdensome. The goal is to put guardrails in place that make fraud harder to commit and easier to catch, without slowing down your business.
Residential accounts are often simpler and tend to come with broader consumer-style protections. Business accounts operate differently—more volume, more access, more complexity, and often less built-in protection. That’s why vigilance isn’t just a best practice; it’s part of responsible business ownership.
Fraud prevention isn’t about paranoia. It’s about professionalism: review regularly, limit access wisely, and build systems that protect your business long before problems appear.
For cash-heavy businesses, deposit routines are not just an operations detail. They are a security issue, a controls issue, and often a cash-flow issue. When business cash gets deposited “personally,” meaning an owner or employee deposits cash through personal banking habits or into the wrong account, it can blur your recordkeeping and weaken internal controls. The IRS notes it is a good idea to keep separate business and personal accounts because it makes recordkeeping easier. The U.S. Small Business Administration also emphasizes separating funds by using a dedicated business bank account to keep bookkeeping clean and accurate.
Just as important is the security perspective. Regularly sending someone to the bank with cash exposes employees to real risk, and it creates a predictable pattern that can be exploited. The ABA Banking Journal has noted that too many cash-handling touch points, including trips to the bank, increase risk and can put employees in physical danger. Brink’s similarly points out that employees are exposed to theft risk when transporting cash, and that partnering with trained cash logistics professionals can reduce the risk of theft and increase accountability through secure transport procedures.
Some businesses try to replace bank runs with a courier pickup, but not every courier model is designed for cash. Cash transportation is high-risk, and the best solution is typically a purpose-built cash logistics provider whose job is secure cash handling, documentation, and transport. Trained cash logistics professionals and armored services are structured to reduce theft exposure and strengthen chain-of-custody and accountability, which is fundamentally different from general delivery services.
Surety Bank’s Smart Safe is designed specifically for cash-heavy businesses that want stronger security and a cleaner, more reliable deposit process. Surety explains that, through its partnership with Loomis, Smart Safe lets your business deposit cash on-site, receive provisional credit to your Surety Bank account, and eliminate unnecessary bank runs. From a security standpoint, Surety highlights benefits like real-time tracking of deposits, enhanced security for cash and employees, and better accountability with fewer cash shortages.
From a cash-flow standpoint, Surety’s process is built around speed. You enter the amount, deposit the cash into the Smart Safe device, and Surety provides provisional credit to your business account based on that entry. Loomis also describes provisional credit as daily credit for cash deposits without having to go to the bank, reducing time and helping reduce the risk of robbery outside the store.
If your business handles cash, the goal is to reduce handling, reduce trips, and reduce uncertainty. A strong plan usually includes keeping all business cash activity in business accounts and processes with clear documentation and daily reconciliation, minimizing manual bank runs, and using a Smart Safe with a professional cash logistics partner so deposits are tracked and transport is handled by specialists.
Contact our Treasury Services department today to learn how Smart Safe can help you strengthen security, simplify deposits, and improve visibility into your cash.
Adding a new product or service can significantly increase revenue for an MSB. Whether it is money transmission, ATM services, or another offering, early coordination with the bank helps ensure your new service launches smoothly and begins generating income as quickly as possible.
Many service-related delays occur when new offerings are added without notifying the bank in advance.
Each product or service comes with specific monitoring, reporting, and account requirements. The bank must be able to review activity accurately and ensure it aligns with regulatory expectations.
When a new service is launched without notice, activity may flow into the wrong account or lack required reporting. Fixing these issues after the service is live often causes delays or temporary interruptions.
ATM Services
If you are adding an ATM, the bank typically requires:
ATM activity cannot be combined with other MSB transactions due to reconciliation and compliance requirements.
Money Transmission Services
This includes services such as Western Union or other money transfer providers.
While these services may not require a separate account, they do require monthly reporting. At a minimum, reports must include:
These reports allow the bank to identify patterns, monitor risk, and meet regulatory obligations.
Even if a third-party provider has its own compliance program, the bank is still responsible for monitoring the activity flowing through your accounts.
Some MSBs assume that because a vendor manages compliance on their side, the bank does not need reporting. This is a common misconception. Ultimately, the funds flow through the bank, and the bank must conduct its own review.
Failing to provide required reporting can delay approvals, reviews, and future expansion plans.
Adding services often requires:
When these steps are completed in advance, services can go live quickly. When handled after launch, they often result in delays, holds, or additional review.
Growth is a positive step for any MSB. Whether you are adding a new product, service, or location, early communication with the bank helps ensure the process is efficient and compliant.
Starting the conversation early allows the bank to guide you, prepare properly, and help you move forward with fewer obstacles and less frustration.
If expansion is even a possibility, reaching out now can save significant time later.
Opening a new location is an exciting milestone for any MSB. New storefronts mean new customers, increased volume, and business growth. However, opening a new branch also brings additional banking, compliance, and operational requirements that must be completed before you can begin operating.
One of the most common causes of delayed openings is a lack of early or consistent communication with the bank. When the bank is informed early and kept in the loop, the process moves faster and far more smoothly.
From the bank’s perspective, opening a new MSB location is not simply adding another address. There are multiple regulatory, licensing, and operational steps that must be completed before the first transaction can take place.
We often see situations where a customer notifies the bank months in advance, receives a checklist of required items, then communication stops. When the customer reconnects and is ready to open, none of the required steps have been completed. At that point, the bank cannot approve activity, even if the storefront is ready.
Consistent communication ensures both sides stay aligned and prevents last-minute delays.
Depending on the state, services offered, and geographic location, opening a new branch may require:
Even experienced MSBs are sometimes surprised to learn that requirements vary by state and location. A location that works in one market may require different preparation in another.
Many MSBs assume that once a lease is signed and the store is ready, operations can begin immediately. From a banking and regulatory standpoint, this is not always the case.
If required licenses, amendments, or system testing are not completed, the bank cannot allow the location to operate. This is not meant to slow down your business. It is meant to protect both your operation and the bank from compliance violations.
The most efficient openings share a few things in common:
When communication stays consistent, opening timelines are shorter, approvals are smoother, and unexpected delays are far less likely.
Tax season often brings an increase in check fraud activity, and we are currently seeing specific patterns in several markets. Based on recent site visits and bankwide data, fraud trends include altered checks, fraudulent IDs, and tax refund schemes that can put MSBs at risk.
Fraud is not evenly distributed across the country. Recent analysis shows:
Understanding these localized trends can help MSBs tailor their detection and prevention efforts based on where their business operates.
Why Fraud Is Often Missed
In busy MSB settings, tellers and staff are under pressure to process customers quickly. Fast service is important, but it should not come at the expense of proper verification. Common reasons fraud is missed include:
Slowing down when suspicious signals appear can prevent significant losses later.
One of the most common fraud methods involves chemical alteration (sometimes called “check washing”), where fraudsters remove original payee information and rewrite it.
How to detect it:
Areas that glow differently often indicate tampering.
Even if the check has no embedded security feature, an altered area will reflect under UV light in a way that the original paper will not.
Fraud prevention is not only about tools. People exhibit behavior that often signals something is wrong:
Watch for customers who:
These behaviors, when combined with instrument anomalies, are stronger indicators of fraud.
In some cases, the check is real, but the transaction context is not. A common example seen in Michigan:
These patterns suggest the check itself may be authentic, but the process that generated it was fraudulent. The bank will eventually identify the issue, but MSBs may face loss if the check is returned.
Slowing down and asking questions helps you protect your business from future exposure.
It’s natural to want to avoid losing a small fee by turning away a suspicious check. However, a rushed decision can expose your business to a much higher loss when a check is returned or fails later verification.
Protecting your business means:
When fraud is prevented at the front line, the long-term financial health of your business is protected.
For many residents of DeLand, the airport on the north side of town feels like a world of its own. Planes climb into the sky daily. Parachutes bloom overhead. Visitors arrive from across the globe. What many may not realize is that Skydive DeLand is not only a local attraction. It is one of the most influential skydiving centers in the world.
Skydive DeLand began operations in 1982, taking over a location that had already seen continuous skydiving activity since 1958. From its earliest days, the company was led by competitors at the highest level of the sport. Both founders were National Champions, and one went on to achieve the title of World Champion in four-person team competition.
That competitive ambition changed the sport.
To pursue world-class performance, the founders enhanced the way teams trained. They invested in aircraft, facilities, personnel, and infrastructure that allowed for intensive, structured team training. At the time, very few drop zones operated seven days a week. Skydive DeLand quickly became a full-time operation, open year-round.
As teams discovered the level of support and consistency available in DeLand, they began traveling here from all over the world. What started as a training philosophy became a global destination.
For many years, Skydive DeLand was recognized as the most active skydiving center in the world.
As training programs expanded, so did the industry surrounding them. Equipment manufacturers began relocating to DeLand in order to test new parachute designs and innovations in real-world conditions.
Today, more than 20 skydiving-related companies operate in the DeLand area. Together, they form the largest parachute equipment manufacturing cluster in the world. Skydive DeLand serves as the anchor for that ecosystem.
Manufacturers rely on the consistent jump activity to test new canopies and equipment designs. Similar to how automotive companies rely on test tracks, skydiving manufacturers rely on active drop zones.
The result is that DeLand became known internationally as the Skydiving Capital of the World. Travelers from Europe, South America, and across the United States continue to visit year after year, particularly during the late winter and spring seasons when weather conditions are ideal.
Beyond competitions and equipment development, Skydive DeLand has fostered a global community.
Teams train here for weeks or months at a time. Large events have attracted hundreds of participants. National championships have been hosted here. At any given time, visitors may be staying in local hotels, RVs, or short-term rentals.
That international presence supports tourism, local hospitality, and small businesses throughout DeLand. A past industry census estimated more than 600 jobs connected directly or indirectly to the skydiving and equipment manufacturing sector.
During economic downturns, when other industries struggled, Skydive DeLand remained strong. Tandem jumps and recreational experiences continued to attract visitors. Equipment manufacturing remained active. That stability helped support the broader local economy during difficult periods.
The people who make up the skydiving community are also deeply engaged locally. Many longtime jumpers and industry professionals participate in other civic and community activities throughout DeLand. For those who retire from jumping, many continue to invest their energy in the town they have come to call home.
In 2025, the Skydive DeLand community experienced a devastating loss.
Bob Hallett, one of the two original founders and the majority shareholder of the company, passed away unexpectedly following a traffic accident on his way to work. He had been with the company since its early days and remained actively involved in daily operations.
Bob was not only a business leader but a central figure in the skydiving community. His vision and commitment helped shape Skydive DeLand into the global leader it became. His passing deeply affected employees, jumpers, manufacturers, and longtime friends across the industry.
For a company that has operated as both a workplace and a close-knit community, the loss was profound. Yet the legacy he helped build continues in the culture, the operations, and the global impact of the organization.
One story reflects just how far Skydive DeLand’s reach extends. A local Stetson professor once attended a conference in Taiwan and turned on the television in his hotel room. There was a feature about Skydive DeLand. He returned home surprised to discover that an internationally recognized skydiving center operated just minutes from where he lived.
That story captures something unique about Skydive DeLand. It has put DeLand on the world map, even if some residents are not fully aware of what happens at the airport each day.
Visitors are welcome to observe jumps from the viewing areas or enjoy the adjacent restaurant deck. Others choose to experience a tandem jump. Some begin lifelong careers in the sport. Whether someone comes to watch or to participate, Skydive DeLand remains open and active every day.
For more information, visit SkyDiveDeLand.com to learn about tandem experiences, training programs, and upcoming events.
Skydive DeLand is more than a drop zone. It is a global training center, an innovation hub, and a long-standing contributor to the DeLand community. Its history reflects ambition, resilience, and a deep commitment to both sport and town.
At first glance, a checking account is a checking account. Money comes in, money goes out, and you check the balance when you need to. But the day you start running a business, the rules change, because the risk changes. Business accounts aren’t just “bigger” consumer accounts. They typically handle more transactions, more users, more payment types, and more moving parts.
There’s another key difference many owners don’t realize until it’s too late: business accounts generally do not have the same level of consumer protections that consumer (personal) accounts do. When something goes wrong, the process, timelines, and potential liability can look very different. That’s why fraud prevention for businesses isn’t optional. It’s operational.
Consumer (personal) accounts are usually simpler:
Business accounts are different by design:
And because business accounts are treated differently than consumer accounts, the responsibility to monitor activity and catch issues early often rests more heavily on the business.
Most business owners are busy. Delegating bookkeeping is smart, because your time is valuable. But delegation without visibility is where risk grows, especially when one person has end-to-end control.
Internal fraud often looks like:
It’s rarely dramatic at the beginning. It’s usually quiet, incremental, and designed not to be noticed.
Consider Lisa, who owns a growing medical practice. She hired a bookkeeper to “handle the finances” and assumed monthly reports were enough. Lisa rarely reviewed actual transactions unless something felt off.
Over time, the bookkeeper began issuing checks to a vendor that sounded legitimate. The amounts were small—$180 here, $250 there—coded as routine office supplies. The practice was busy, revenue was strong, and nothing looked “wrong” at a high level.
Six months later, Lisa’s accountant flagged unusual expense patterns during a quarterly review. By then, the total loss wasn’t a rounding error. It was meaningful, and the cleanup took time, created stress, and required uncomfortable conversations. The hardest part wasn’t just the money; it was realizing the problem could have been caught early with simple, consistent oversight.
You don’t need to become your own bookkeeper. You just need a rhythm of review that helps you spot unusual activity quickly, especially because business accounts don’t always come with the same consumer-style protections.
Try these straightforward habits:
Strong habits matter, but systems are what help you scale safely. Depending on your business, ask about tools such as:
Surety Bank can help you evaluate which controls fit your operation, set permissions correctly, and implement tools like Positive Pay in a way that’s practical—not burdensome. The goal is to put guardrails in place that make fraud harder to commit and easier to catch, without slowing down your business.
Residential accounts are often simpler and tend to come with broader consumer-style protections. Business accounts operate differently—more volume, more access, more complexity, and often less built-in protection. That’s why vigilance isn’t just a best practice; it’s part of responsible business ownership.
Fraud prevention isn’t about paranoia. It’s about professionalism: review regularly, limit access wisely, and build systems that protect your business long before problems appear.
For cash-heavy businesses, deposit routines are not just an operations detail. They are a security issue, a controls issue, and often a cash-flow issue. When business cash gets deposited “personally,” meaning an owner or employee deposits cash through personal banking habits or into the wrong account, it can blur your recordkeeping and weaken internal controls. The IRS notes it is a good idea to keep separate business and personal accounts because it makes recordkeeping easier. The U.S. Small Business Administration also emphasizes separating funds by using a dedicated business bank account to keep bookkeeping clean and accurate.
Just as important is the security perspective. Regularly sending someone to the bank with cash exposes employees to real risk, and it creates a predictable pattern that can be exploited. The ABA Banking Journal has noted that too many cash-handling touch points, including trips to the bank, increase risk and can put employees in physical danger. Brink’s similarly points out that employees are exposed to theft risk when transporting cash, and that partnering with trained cash logistics professionals can reduce the risk of theft and increase accountability through secure transport procedures.
Some businesses try to replace bank runs with a courier pickup, but not every courier model is designed for cash. Cash transportation is high-risk, and the best solution is typically a purpose-built cash logistics provider whose job is secure cash handling, documentation, and transport. Trained cash logistics professionals and armored services are structured to reduce theft exposure and strengthen chain-of-custody and accountability, which is fundamentally different from general delivery services.
Surety Bank’s Smart Safe is designed specifically for cash-heavy businesses that want stronger security and a cleaner, more reliable deposit process. Surety explains that, through its partnership with Loomis, Smart Safe lets your business deposit cash on-site, receive provisional credit to your Surety Bank account, and eliminate unnecessary bank runs. From a security standpoint, Surety highlights benefits like real-time tracking of deposits, enhanced security for cash and employees, and better accountability with fewer cash shortages.
From a cash-flow standpoint, Surety’s process is built around speed. You enter the amount, deposit the cash into the Smart Safe device, and Surety provides provisional credit to your business account based on that entry. Loomis also describes provisional credit as daily credit for cash deposits without having to go to the bank, reducing time and helping reduce the risk of robbery outside the store.
If your business handles cash, the goal is to reduce handling, reduce trips, and reduce uncertainty. A strong plan usually includes keeping all business cash activity in business accounts and processes with clear documentation and daily reconciliation, minimizing manual bank runs, and using a Smart Safe with a professional cash logistics partner so deposits are tracked and transport is handled by specialists.
Contact our Treasury Services department today to learn how Smart Safe can help you strengthen security, simplify deposits, and improve visibility into your cash.
Adding a new product or service can significantly increase revenue for an MSB. Whether it is money transmission, ATM services, or another offering, early coordination with the bank helps ensure your new service launches smoothly and begins generating income as quickly as possible.
Many service-related delays occur when new offerings are added without notifying the bank in advance.
Each product or service comes with specific monitoring, reporting, and account requirements. The bank must be able to review activity accurately and ensure it aligns with regulatory expectations.
When a new service is launched without notice, activity may flow into the wrong account or lack required reporting. Fixing these issues after the service is live often causes delays or temporary interruptions.
ATM Services
If you are adding an ATM, the bank typically requires:
ATM activity cannot be combined with other MSB transactions due to reconciliation and compliance requirements.
Money Transmission Services
This includes services such as Western Union or other money transfer providers.
While these services may not require a separate account, they do require monthly reporting. At a minimum, reports must include:
These reports allow the bank to identify patterns, monitor risk, and meet regulatory obligations.
Even if a third-party provider has its own compliance program, the bank is still responsible for monitoring the activity flowing through your accounts.
Some MSBs assume that because a vendor manages compliance on their side, the bank does not need reporting. This is a common misconception. Ultimately, the funds flow through the bank, and the bank must conduct its own review.
Failing to provide required reporting can delay approvals, reviews, and future expansion plans.
Adding services often requires:
When these steps are completed in advance, services can go live quickly. When handled after launch, they often result in delays, holds, or additional review.
Growth is a positive step for any MSB. Whether you are adding a new product, service, or location, early communication with the bank helps ensure the process is efficient and compliant.
Starting the conversation early allows the bank to guide you, prepare properly, and help you move forward with fewer obstacles and less frustration.
If expansion is even a possibility, reaching out now can save significant time later.
Opening a new location is an exciting milestone for any MSB. New storefronts mean new customers, increased volume, and business growth. However, opening a new branch also brings additional banking, compliance, and operational requirements that must be completed before you can begin operating.
One of the most common causes of delayed openings is a lack of early or consistent communication with the bank. When the bank is informed early and kept in the loop, the process moves faster and far more smoothly.
From the bank’s perspective, opening a new MSB location is not simply adding another address. There are multiple regulatory, licensing, and operational steps that must be completed before the first transaction can take place.
We often see situations where a customer notifies the bank months in advance, receives a checklist of required items, then communication stops. When the customer reconnects and is ready to open, none of the required steps have been completed. At that point, the bank cannot approve activity, even if the storefront is ready.
Consistent communication ensures both sides stay aligned and prevents last-minute delays.
Depending on the state, services offered, and geographic location, opening a new branch may require:
Even experienced MSBs are sometimes surprised to learn that requirements vary by state and location. A location that works in one market may require different preparation in another.
Many MSBs assume that once a lease is signed and the store is ready, operations can begin immediately. From a banking and regulatory standpoint, this is not always the case.
If required licenses, amendments, or system testing are not completed, the bank cannot allow the location to operate. This is not meant to slow down your business. It is meant to protect both your operation and the bank from compliance violations.
The most efficient openings share a few things in common:
When communication stays consistent, opening timelines are shorter, approvals are smoother, and unexpected delays are far less likely.
Tax season often brings an increase in check fraud activity, and we are currently seeing specific patterns in several markets. Based on recent site visits and bankwide data, fraud trends include altered checks, fraudulent IDs, and tax refund schemes that can put MSBs at risk.
Fraud is not evenly distributed across the country. Recent analysis shows:
Understanding these localized trends can help MSBs tailor their detection and prevention efforts based on where their business operates.
Why Fraud Is Often Missed
In busy MSB settings, tellers and staff are under pressure to process customers quickly. Fast service is important, but it should not come at the expense of proper verification. Common reasons fraud is missed include:
Slowing down when suspicious signals appear can prevent significant losses later.
One of the most common fraud methods involves chemical alteration (sometimes called “check washing”), where fraudsters remove original payee information and rewrite it.
How to detect it:
Areas that glow differently often indicate tampering.
Even if the check has no embedded security feature, an altered area will reflect under UV light in a way that the original paper will not.
Fraud prevention is not only about tools. People exhibit behavior that often signals something is wrong:
Watch for customers who:
These behaviors, when combined with instrument anomalies, are stronger indicators of fraud.
In some cases, the check is real, but the transaction context is not. A common example seen in Michigan:
These patterns suggest the check itself may be authentic, but the process that generated it was fraudulent. The bank will eventually identify the issue, but MSBs may face loss if the check is returned.
Slowing down and asking questions helps you protect your business from future exposure.
It’s natural to want to avoid losing a small fee by turning away a suspicious check. However, a rushed decision can expose your business to a much higher loss when a check is returned or fails later verification.
Protecting your business means:
When fraud is prevented at the front line, the long-term financial health of your business is protected.
For many residents of DeLand, the airport on the north side of town feels like a world of its own. Planes climb into the sky daily. Parachutes bloom overhead. Visitors arrive from across the globe. What many may not realize is that Skydive DeLand is not only a local attraction. It is one of the most influential skydiving centers in the world.
Skydive DeLand began operations in 1982, taking over a location that had already seen continuous skydiving activity since 1958. From its earliest days, the company was led by competitors at the highest level of the sport. Both founders were National Champions, and one went on to achieve the title of World Champion in four-person team competition.
That competitive ambition changed the sport.
To pursue world-class performance, the founders enhanced the way teams trained. They invested in aircraft, facilities, personnel, and infrastructure that allowed for intensive, structured team training. At the time, very few drop zones operated seven days a week. Skydive DeLand quickly became a full-time operation, open year-round.
As teams discovered the level of support and consistency available in DeLand, they began traveling here from all over the world. What started as a training philosophy became a global destination.
For many years, Skydive DeLand was recognized as the most active skydiving center in the world.
As training programs expanded, so did the industry surrounding them. Equipment manufacturers began relocating to DeLand in order to test new parachute designs and innovations in real-world conditions.
Today, more than 20 skydiving-related companies operate in the DeLand area. Together, they form the largest parachute equipment manufacturing cluster in the world. Skydive DeLand serves as the anchor for that ecosystem.
Manufacturers rely on the consistent jump activity to test new canopies and equipment designs. Similar to how automotive companies rely on test tracks, skydiving manufacturers rely on active drop zones.
The result is that DeLand became known internationally as the Skydiving Capital of the World. Travelers from Europe, South America, and across the United States continue to visit year after year, particularly during the late winter and spring seasons when weather conditions are ideal.
Beyond competitions and equipment development, Skydive DeLand has fostered a global community.
Teams train here for weeks or months at a time. Large events have attracted hundreds of participants. National championships have been hosted here. At any given time, visitors may be staying in local hotels, RVs, or short-term rentals.
That international presence supports tourism, local hospitality, and small businesses throughout DeLand. A past industry census estimated more than 600 jobs connected directly or indirectly to the skydiving and equipment manufacturing sector.
During economic downturns, when other industries struggled, Skydive DeLand remained strong. Tandem jumps and recreational experiences continued to attract visitors. Equipment manufacturing remained active. That stability helped support the broader local economy during difficult periods.
The people who make up the skydiving community are also deeply engaged locally. Many longtime jumpers and industry professionals participate in other civic and community activities throughout DeLand. For those who retire from jumping, many continue to invest their energy in the town they have come to call home.
In 2025, the Skydive DeLand community experienced a devastating loss.
Bob Hallett, one of the two original founders and the majority shareholder of the company, passed away unexpectedly following a traffic accident on his way to work. He had been with the company since its early days and remained actively involved in daily operations.
Bob was not only a business leader but a central figure in the skydiving community. His vision and commitment helped shape Skydive DeLand into the global leader it became. His passing deeply affected employees, jumpers, manufacturers, and longtime friends across the industry.
For a company that has operated as both a workplace and a close-knit community, the loss was profound. Yet the legacy he helped build continues in the culture, the operations, and the global impact of the organization.
One story reflects just how far Skydive DeLand’s reach extends. A local Stetson professor once attended a conference in Taiwan and turned on the television in his hotel room. There was a feature about Skydive DeLand. He returned home surprised to discover that an internationally recognized skydiving center operated just minutes from where he lived.
That story captures something unique about Skydive DeLand. It has put DeLand on the world map, even if some residents are not fully aware of what happens at the airport each day.
Visitors are welcome to observe jumps from the viewing areas or enjoy the adjacent restaurant deck. Others choose to experience a tandem jump. Some begin lifelong careers in the sport. Whether someone comes to watch or to participate, Skydive DeLand remains open and active every day.
For more information, visit SkyDiveDeLand.com to learn about tandem experiences, training programs, and upcoming events.
Skydive DeLand is more than a drop zone. It is a global training center, an innovation hub, and a long-standing contributor to the DeLand community. Its history reflects ambition, resilience, and a deep commitment to both sport and town.
At first glance, a checking account is a checking account. Money comes in, money goes out, and you check the balance when you need to. But the day you start running a business, the rules change, because the risk changes. Business accounts aren’t just “bigger” consumer accounts. They typically handle more transactions, more users, more payment types, and more moving parts.
There’s another key difference many owners don’t realize until it’s too late: business accounts generally do not have the same level of consumer protections that consumer (personal) accounts do. When something goes wrong, the process, timelines, and potential liability can look very different. That’s why fraud prevention for businesses isn’t optional. It’s operational.
Consumer (personal) accounts are usually simpler:
Business accounts are different by design:
And because business accounts are treated differently than consumer accounts, the responsibility to monitor activity and catch issues early often rests more heavily on the business.
Most business owners are busy. Delegating bookkeeping is smart, because your time is valuable. But delegation without visibility is where risk grows, especially when one person has end-to-end control.
Internal fraud often looks like:
It’s rarely dramatic at the beginning. It’s usually quiet, incremental, and designed not to be noticed.
Consider Lisa, who owns a growing medical practice. She hired a bookkeeper to “handle the finances” and assumed monthly reports were enough. Lisa rarely reviewed actual transactions unless something felt off.
Over time, the bookkeeper began issuing checks to a vendor that sounded legitimate. The amounts were small—$180 here, $250 there—coded as routine office supplies. The practice was busy, revenue was strong, and nothing looked “wrong” at a high level.
Six months later, Lisa’s accountant flagged unusual expense patterns during a quarterly review. By then, the total loss wasn’t a rounding error. It was meaningful, and the cleanup took time, created stress, and required uncomfortable conversations. The hardest part wasn’t just the money; it was realizing the problem could have been caught early with simple, consistent oversight.
You don’t need to become your own bookkeeper. You just need a rhythm of review that helps you spot unusual activity quickly, especially because business accounts don’t always come with the same consumer-style protections.
Try these straightforward habits:
Strong habits matter, but systems are what help you scale safely. Depending on your business, ask about tools such as:
Surety Bank can help you evaluate which controls fit your operation, set permissions correctly, and implement tools like Positive Pay in a way that’s practical—not burdensome. The goal is to put guardrails in place that make fraud harder to commit and easier to catch, without slowing down your business.
Residential accounts are often simpler and tend to come with broader consumer-style protections. Business accounts operate differently—more volume, more access, more complexity, and often less built-in protection. That’s why vigilance isn’t just a best practice; it’s part of responsible business ownership.
Fraud prevention isn’t about paranoia. It’s about professionalism: review regularly, limit access wisely, and build systems that protect your business long before problems appear.
For cash-heavy businesses, deposit routines are not just an operations detail. They are a security issue, a controls issue, and often a cash-flow issue. When business cash gets deposited “personally,” meaning an owner or employee deposits cash through personal banking habits or into the wrong account, it can blur your recordkeeping and weaken internal controls. The IRS notes it is a good idea to keep separate business and personal accounts because it makes recordkeeping easier. The U.S. Small Business Administration also emphasizes separating funds by using a dedicated business bank account to keep bookkeeping clean and accurate.
Just as important is the security perspective. Regularly sending someone to the bank with cash exposes employees to real risk, and it creates a predictable pattern that can be exploited. The ABA Banking Journal has noted that too many cash-handling touch points, including trips to the bank, increase risk and can put employees in physical danger. Brink’s similarly points out that employees are exposed to theft risk when transporting cash, and that partnering with trained cash logistics professionals can reduce the risk of theft and increase accountability through secure transport procedures.
Some businesses try to replace bank runs with a courier pickup, but not every courier model is designed for cash. Cash transportation is high-risk, and the best solution is typically a purpose-built cash logistics provider whose job is secure cash handling, documentation, and transport. Trained cash logistics professionals and armored services are structured to reduce theft exposure and strengthen chain-of-custody and accountability, which is fundamentally different from general delivery services.
Surety Bank’s Smart Safe is designed specifically for cash-heavy businesses that want stronger security and a cleaner, more reliable deposit process. Surety explains that, through its partnership with Loomis, Smart Safe lets your business deposit cash on-site, receive provisional credit to your Surety Bank account, and eliminate unnecessary bank runs. From a security standpoint, Surety highlights benefits like real-time tracking of deposits, enhanced security for cash and employees, and better accountability with fewer cash shortages.
From a cash-flow standpoint, Surety’s process is built around speed. You enter the amount, deposit the cash into the Smart Safe device, and Surety provides provisional credit to your business account based on that entry. Loomis also describes provisional credit as daily credit for cash deposits without having to go to the bank, reducing time and helping reduce the risk of robbery outside the store.
If your business handles cash, the goal is to reduce handling, reduce trips, and reduce uncertainty. A strong plan usually includes keeping all business cash activity in business accounts and processes with clear documentation and daily reconciliation, minimizing manual bank runs, and using a Smart Safe with a professional cash logistics partner so deposits are tracked and transport is handled by specialists.
Contact our Treasury Services department today to learn how Smart Safe can help you strengthen security, simplify deposits, and improve visibility into your cash.
Adding a new product or service can significantly increase revenue for an MSB. Whether it is money transmission, ATM services, or another offering, early coordination with the bank helps ensure your new service launches smoothly and begins generating income as quickly as possible.
Many service-related delays occur when new offerings are added without notifying the bank in advance.
Each product or service comes with specific monitoring, reporting, and account requirements. The bank must be able to review activity accurately and ensure it aligns with regulatory expectations.
When a new service is launched without notice, activity may flow into the wrong account or lack required reporting. Fixing these issues after the service is live often causes delays or temporary interruptions.
ATM Services
If you are adding an ATM, the bank typically requires:
ATM activity cannot be combined with other MSB transactions due to reconciliation and compliance requirements.
Money Transmission Services
This includes services such as Western Union or other money transfer providers.
While these services may not require a separate account, they do require monthly reporting. At a minimum, reports must include:
These reports allow the bank to identify patterns, monitor risk, and meet regulatory obligations.
Even if a third-party provider has its own compliance program, the bank is still responsible for monitoring the activity flowing through your accounts.
Some MSBs assume that because a vendor manages compliance on their side, the bank does not need reporting. This is a common misconception. Ultimately, the funds flow through the bank, and the bank must conduct its own review.
Failing to provide required reporting can delay approvals, reviews, and future expansion plans.
Adding services often requires:
When these steps are completed in advance, services can go live quickly. When handled after launch, they often result in delays, holds, or additional review.
Growth is a positive step for any MSB. Whether you are adding a new product, service, or location, early communication with the bank helps ensure the process is efficient and compliant.
Starting the conversation early allows the bank to guide you, prepare properly, and help you move forward with fewer obstacles and less frustration.
If expansion is even a possibility, reaching out now can save significant time later.
Opening a new location is an exciting milestone for any MSB. New storefronts mean new customers, increased volume, and business growth. However, opening a new branch also brings additional banking, compliance, and operational requirements that must be completed before you can begin operating.
One of the most common causes of delayed openings is a lack of early or consistent communication with the bank. When the bank is informed early and kept in the loop, the process moves faster and far more smoothly.
From the bank’s perspective, opening a new MSB location is not simply adding another address. There are multiple regulatory, licensing, and operational steps that must be completed before the first transaction can take place.
We often see situations where a customer notifies the bank months in advance, receives a checklist of required items, then communication stops. When the customer reconnects and is ready to open, none of the required steps have been completed. At that point, the bank cannot approve activity, even if the storefront is ready.
Consistent communication ensures both sides stay aligned and prevents last-minute delays.
Depending on the state, services offered, and geographic location, opening a new branch may require:
Even experienced MSBs are sometimes surprised to learn that requirements vary by state and location. A location that works in one market may require different preparation in another.
Many MSBs assume that once a lease is signed and the store is ready, operations can begin immediately. From a banking and regulatory standpoint, this is not always the case.
If required licenses, amendments, or system testing are not completed, the bank cannot allow the location to operate. This is not meant to slow down your business. It is meant to protect both your operation and the bank from compliance violations.
The most efficient openings share a few things in common:
When communication stays consistent, opening timelines are shorter, approvals are smoother, and unexpected delays are far less likely.
Tax season often brings an increase in check fraud activity, and we are currently seeing specific patterns in several markets. Based on recent site visits and bankwide data, fraud trends include altered checks, fraudulent IDs, and tax refund schemes that can put MSBs at risk.
Fraud is not evenly distributed across the country. Recent analysis shows:
Understanding these localized trends can help MSBs tailor their detection and prevention efforts based on where their business operates.
Why Fraud Is Often Missed
In busy MSB settings, tellers and staff are under pressure to process customers quickly. Fast service is important, but it should not come at the expense of proper verification. Common reasons fraud is missed include:
Slowing down when suspicious signals appear can prevent significant losses later.
One of the most common fraud methods involves chemical alteration (sometimes called “check washing”), where fraudsters remove original payee information and rewrite it.
How to detect it:
Areas that glow differently often indicate tampering.
Even if the check has no embedded security feature, an altered area will reflect under UV light in a way that the original paper will not.
Fraud prevention is not only about tools. People exhibit behavior that often signals something is wrong:
Watch for customers who:
These behaviors, when combined with instrument anomalies, are stronger indicators of fraud.
In some cases, the check is real, but the transaction context is not. A common example seen in Michigan:
These patterns suggest the check itself may be authentic, but the process that generated it was fraudulent. The bank will eventually identify the issue, but MSBs may face loss if the check is returned.
Slowing down and asking questions helps you protect your business from future exposure.
It’s natural to want to avoid losing a small fee by turning away a suspicious check. However, a rushed decision can expose your business to a much higher loss when a check is returned or fails later verification.
Protecting your business means:
When fraud is prevented at the front line, the long-term financial health of your business is protected.
For many residents of DeLand, the airport on the north side of town feels like a world of its own. Planes climb into the sky daily. Parachutes bloom overhead. Visitors arrive from across the globe. What many may not realize is that Skydive DeLand is not only a local attraction. It is one of the most influential skydiving centers in the world.
Skydive DeLand began operations in 1982, taking over a location that had already seen continuous skydiving activity since 1958. From its earliest days, the company was led by competitors at the highest level of the sport. Both founders were National Champions, and one went on to achieve the title of World Champion in four-person team competition.
That competitive ambition changed the sport.
To pursue world-class performance, the founders enhanced the way teams trained. They invested in aircraft, facilities, personnel, and infrastructure that allowed for intensive, structured team training. At the time, very few drop zones operated seven days a week. Skydive DeLand quickly became a full-time operation, open year-round.
As teams discovered the level of support and consistency available in DeLand, they began traveling here from all over the world. What started as a training philosophy became a global destination.
For many years, Skydive DeLand was recognized as the most active skydiving center in the world.
As training programs expanded, so did the industry surrounding them. Equipment manufacturers began relocating to DeLand in order to test new parachute designs and innovations in real-world conditions.
Today, more than 20 skydiving-related companies operate in the DeLand area. Together, they form the largest parachute equipment manufacturing cluster in the world. Skydive DeLand serves as the anchor for that ecosystem.
Manufacturers rely on the consistent jump activity to test new canopies and equipment designs. Similar to how automotive companies rely on test tracks, skydiving manufacturers rely on active drop zones.
The result is that DeLand became known internationally as the Skydiving Capital of the World. Travelers from Europe, South America, and across the United States continue to visit year after year, particularly during the late winter and spring seasons when weather conditions are ideal.
Beyond competitions and equipment development, Skydive DeLand has fostered a global community.
Teams train here for weeks or months at a time. Large events have attracted hundreds of participants. National championships have been hosted here. At any given time, visitors may be staying in local hotels, RVs, or short-term rentals.
That international presence supports tourism, local hospitality, and small businesses throughout DeLand. A past industry census estimated more than 600 jobs connected directly or indirectly to the skydiving and equipment manufacturing sector.
During economic downturns, when other industries struggled, Skydive DeLand remained strong. Tandem jumps and recreational experiences continued to attract visitors. Equipment manufacturing remained active. That stability helped support the broader local economy during difficult periods.
The people who make up the skydiving community are also deeply engaged locally. Many longtime jumpers and industry professionals participate in other civic and community activities throughout DeLand. For those who retire from jumping, many continue to invest their energy in the town they have come to call home.
In 2025, the Skydive DeLand community experienced a devastating loss.
Bob Hallett, one of the two original founders and the majority shareholder of the company, passed away unexpectedly following a traffic accident on his way to work. He had been with the company since its early days and remained actively involved in daily operations.
Bob was not only a business leader but a central figure in the skydiving community. His vision and commitment helped shape Skydive DeLand into the global leader it became. His passing deeply affected employees, jumpers, manufacturers, and longtime friends across the industry.
For a company that has operated as both a workplace and a close-knit community, the loss was profound. Yet the legacy he helped build continues in the culture, the operations, and the global impact of the organization.
One story reflects just how far Skydive DeLand’s reach extends. A local Stetson professor once attended a conference in Taiwan and turned on the television in his hotel room. There was a feature about Skydive DeLand. He returned home surprised to discover that an internationally recognized skydiving center operated just minutes from where he lived.
That story captures something unique about Skydive DeLand. It has put DeLand on the world map, even if some residents are not fully aware of what happens at the airport each day.
Visitors are welcome to observe jumps from the viewing areas or enjoy the adjacent restaurant deck. Others choose to experience a tandem jump. Some begin lifelong careers in the sport. Whether someone comes to watch or to participate, Skydive DeLand remains open and active every day.
For more information, visit SkyDiveDeLand.com to learn about tandem experiences, training programs, and upcoming events.
Skydive DeLand is more than a drop zone. It is a global training center, an innovation hub, and a long-standing contributor to the DeLand community. Its history reflects ambition, resilience, and a deep commitment to both sport and town.
At first glance, a checking account is a checking account. Money comes in, money goes out, and you check the balance when you need to. But the day you start running a business, the rules change, because the risk changes. Business accounts aren’t just “bigger” consumer accounts. They typically handle more transactions, more users, more payment types, and more moving parts.
There’s another key difference many owners don’t realize until it’s too late: business accounts generally do not have the same level of consumer protections that consumer (personal) accounts do. When something goes wrong, the process, timelines, and potential liability can look very different. That’s why fraud prevention for businesses isn’t optional. It’s operational.
Consumer (personal) accounts are usually simpler:
Business accounts are different by design:
And because business accounts are treated differently than consumer accounts, the responsibility to monitor activity and catch issues early often rests more heavily on the business.
Most business owners are busy. Delegating bookkeeping is smart, because your time is valuable. But delegation without visibility is where risk grows, especially when one person has end-to-end control.
Internal fraud often looks like:
It’s rarely dramatic at the beginning. It’s usually quiet, incremental, and designed not to be noticed.
Consider Lisa, who owns a growing medical practice. She hired a bookkeeper to “handle the finances” and assumed monthly reports were enough. Lisa rarely reviewed actual transactions unless something felt off.
Over time, the bookkeeper began issuing checks to a vendor that sounded legitimate. The amounts were small—$180 here, $250 there—coded as routine office supplies. The practice was busy, revenue was strong, and nothing looked “wrong” at a high level.
Six months later, Lisa’s accountant flagged unusual expense patterns during a quarterly review. By then, the total loss wasn’t a rounding error. It was meaningful, and the cleanup took time, created stress, and required uncomfortable conversations. The hardest part wasn’t just the money; it was realizing the problem could have been caught early with simple, consistent oversight.
You don’t need to become your own bookkeeper. You just need a rhythm of review that helps you spot unusual activity quickly, especially because business accounts don’t always come with the same consumer-style protections.
Try these straightforward habits:
Strong habits matter, but systems are what help you scale safely. Depending on your business, ask about tools such as:
Surety Bank can help you evaluate which controls fit your operation, set permissions correctly, and implement tools like Positive Pay in a way that’s practical—not burdensome. The goal is to put guardrails in place that make fraud harder to commit and easier to catch, without slowing down your business.
Residential accounts are often simpler and tend to come with broader consumer-style protections. Business accounts operate differently—more volume, more access, more complexity, and often less built-in protection. That’s why vigilance isn’t just a best practice; it’s part of responsible business ownership.
Fraud prevention isn’t about paranoia. It’s about professionalism: review regularly, limit access wisely, and build systems that protect your business long before problems appear.
For cash-heavy businesses, deposit routines are not just an operations detail. They are a security issue, a controls issue, and often a cash-flow issue. When business cash gets deposited “personally,” meaning an owner or employee deposits cash through personal banking habits or into the wrong account, it can blur your recordkeeping and weaken internal controls. The IRS notes it is a good idea to keep separate business and personal accounts because it makes recordkeeping easier. The U.S. Small Business Administration also emphasizes separating funds by using a dedicated business bank account to keep bookkeeping clean and accurate.
Just as important is the security perspective. Regularly sending someone to the bank with cash exposes employees to real risk, and it creates a predictable pattern that can be exploited. The ABA Banking Journal has noted that too many cash-handling touch points, including trips to the bank, increase risk and can put employees in physical danger. Brink’s similarly points out that employees are exposed to theft risk when transporting cash, and that partnering with trained cash logistics professionals can reduce the risk of theft and increase accountability through secure transport procedures.
Some businesses try to replace bank runs with a courier pickup, but not every courier model is designed for cash. Cash transportation is high-risk, and the best solution is typically a purpose-built cash logistics provider whose job is secure cash handling, documentation, and transport. Trained cash logistics professionals and armored services are structured to reduce theft exposure and strengthen chain-of-custody and accountability, which is fundamentally different from general delivery services.
Surety Bank’s Smart Safe is designed specifically for cash-heavy businesses that want stronger security and a cleaner, more reliable deposit process. Surety explains that, through its partnership with Loomis, Smart Safe lets your business deposit cash on-site, receive provisional credit to your Surety Bank account, and eliminate unnecessary bank runs. From a security standpoint, Surety highlights benefits like real-time tracking of deposits, enhanced security for cash and employees, and better accountability with fewer cash shortages.
From a cash-flow standpoint, Surety’s process is built around speed. You enter the amount, deposit the cash into the Smart Safe device, and Surety provides provisional credit to your business account based on that entry. Loomis also describes provisional credit as daily credit for cash deposits without having to go to the bank, reducing time and helping reduce the risk of robbery outside the store.
If your business handles cash, the goal is to reduce handling, reduce trips, and reduce uncertainty. A strong plan usually includes keeping all business cash activity in business accounts and processes with clear documentation and daily reconciliation, minimizing manual bank runs, and using a Smart Safe with a professional cash logistics partner so deposits are tracked and transport is handled by specialists.
Contact our Treasury Services department today to learn how Smart Safe can help you strengthen security, simplify deposits, and improve visibility into your cash.
Adding a new product or service can significantly increase revenue for an MSB. Whether it is money transmission, ATM services, or another offering, early coordination with the bank helps ensure your new service launches smoothly and begins generating income as quickly as possible.
Many service-related delays occur when new offerings are added without notifying the bank in advance.
Each product or service comes with specific monitoring, reporting, and account requirements. The bank must be able to review activity accurately and ensure it aligns with regulatory expectations.
When a new service is launched without notice, activity may flow into the wrong account or lack required reporting. Fixing these issues after the service is live often causes delays or temporary interruptions.
ATM Services
If you are adding an ATM, the bank typically requires:
ATM activity cannot be combined with other MSB transactions due to reconciliation and compliance requirements.
Money Transmission Services
This includes services such as Western Union or other money transfer providers.
While these services may not require a separate account, they do require monthly reporting. At a minimum, reports must include:
These reports allow the bank to identify patterns, monitor risk, and meet regulatory obligations.
Even if a third-party provider has its own compliance program, the bank is still responsible for monitoring the activity flowing through your accounts.
Some MSBs assume that because a vendor manages compliance on their side, the bank does not need reporting. This is a common misconception. Ultimately, the funds flow through the bank, and the bank must conduct its own review.
Failing to provide required reporting can delay approvals, reviews, and future expansion plans.
Adding services often requires:
When these steps are completed in advance, services can go live quickly. When handled after launch, they often result in delays, holds, or additional review.
Growth is a positive step for any MSB. Whether you are adding a new product, service, or location, early communication with the bank helps ensure the process is efficient and compliant.
Starting the conversation early allows the bank to guide you, prepare properly, and help you move forward with fewer obstacles and less frustration.
If expansion is even a possibility, reaching out now can save significant time later.
Opening a new location is an exciting milestone for any MSB. New storefronts mean new customers, increased volume, and business growth. However, opening a new branch also brings additional banking, compliance, and operational requirements that must be completed before you can begin operating.
One of the most common causes of delayed openings is a lack of early or consistent communication with the bank. When the bank is informed early and kept in the loop, the process moves faster and far more smoothly.
From the bank’s perspective, opening a new MSB location is not simply adding another address. There are multiple regulatory, licensing, and operational steps that must be completed before the first transaction can take place.
We often see situations where a customer notifies the bank months in advance, receives a checklist of required items, then communication stops. When the customer reconnects and is ready to open, none of the required steps have been completed. At that point, the bank cannot approve activity, even if the storefront is ready.
Consistent communication ensures both sides stay aligned and prevents last-minute delays.
Depending on the state, services offered, and geographic location, opening a new branch may require:
Even experienced MSBs are sometimes surprised to learn that requirements vary by state and location. A location that works in one market may require different preparation in another.
Many MSBs assume that once a lease is signed and the store is ready, operations can begin immediately. From a banking and regulatory standpoint, this is not always the case.
If required licenses, amendments, or system testing are not completed, the bank cannot allow the location to operate. This is not meant to slow down your business. It is meant to protect both your operation and the bank from compliance violations.
The most efficient openings share a few things in common:
When communication stays consistent, opening timelines are shorter, approvals are smoother, and unexpected delays are far less likely.
Tax season often brings an increase in check fraud activity, and we are currently seeing specific patterns in several markets. Based on recent site visits and bankwide data, fraud trends include altered checks, fraudulent IDs, and tax refund schemes that can put MSBs at risk.
Fraud is not evenly distributed across the country. Recent analysis shows:
Understanding these localized trends can help MSBs tailor their detection and prevention efforts based on where their business operates.
Why Fraud Is Often Missed
In busy MSB settings, tellers and staff are under pressure to process customers quickly. Fast service is important, but it should not come at the expense of proper verification. Common reasons fraud is missed include:
Slowing down when suspicious signals appear can prevent significant losses later.
One of the most common fraud methods involves chemical alteration (sometimes called “check washing”), where fraudsters remove original payee information and rewrite it.
How to detect it:
Areas that glow differently often indicate tampering.
Even if the check has no embedded security feature, an altered area will reflect under UV light in a way that the original paper will not.
Fraud prevention is not only about tools. People exhibit behavior that often signals something is wrong:
Watch for customers who:
These behaviors, when combined with instrument anomalies, are stronger indicators of fraud.
In some cases, the check is real, but the transaction context is not. A common example seen in Michigan:
These patterns suggest the check itself may be authentic, but the process that generated it was fraudulent. The bank will eventually identify the issue, but MSBs may face loss if the check is returned.
Slowing down and asking questions helps you protect your business from future exposure.
It’s natural to want to avoid losing a small fee by turning away a suspicious check. However, a rushed decision can expose your business to a much higher loss when a check is returned or fails later verification.
Protecting your business means:
When fraud is prevented at the front line, the long-term financial health of your business is protected.
For many residents of DeLand, the airport on the north side of town feels like a world of its own. Planes climb into the sky daily. Parachutes bloom overhead. Visitors arrive from across the globe. What many may not realize is that Skydive DeLand is not only a local attraction. It is one of the most influential skydiving centers in the world.
Skydive DeLand began operations in 1982, taking over a location that had already seen continuous skydiving activity since 1958. From its earliest days, the company was led by competitors at the highest level of the sport. Both founders were National Champions, and one went on to achieve the title of World Champion in four-person team competition.
That competitive ambition changed the sport.
To pursue world-class performance, the founders enhanced the way teams trained. They invested in aircraft, facilities, personnel, and infrastructure that allowed for intensive, structured team training. At the time, very few drop zones operated seven days a week. Skydive DeLand quickly became a full-time operation, open year-round.
As teams discovered the level of support and consistency available in DeLand, they began traveling here from all over the world. What started as a training philosophy became a global destination.
For many years, Skydive DeLand was recognized as the most active skydiving center in the world.
As training programs expanded, so did the industry surrounding them. Equipment manufacturers began relocating to DeLand in order to test new parachute designs and innovations in real-world conditions.
Today, more than 20 skydiving-related companies operate in the DeLand area. Together, they form the largest parachute equipment manufacturing cluster in the world. Skydive DeLand serves as the anchor for that ecosystem.
Manufacturers rely on the consistent jump activity to test new canopies and equipment designs. Similar to how automotive companies rely on test tracks, skydiving manufacturers rely on active drop zones.
The result is that DeLand became known internationally as the Skydiving Capital of the World. Travelers from Europe, South America, and across the United States continue to visit year after year, particularly during the late winter and spring seasons when weather conditions are ideal.
Beyond competitions and equipment development, Skydive DeLand has fostered a global community.
Teams train here for weeks or months at a time. Large events have attracted hundreds of participants. National championships have been hosted here. At any given time, visitors may be staying in local hotels, RVs, or short-term rentals.
That international presence supports tourism, local hospitality, and small businesses throughout DeLand. A past industry census estimated more than 600 jobs connected directly or indirectly to the skydiving and equipment manufacturing sector.
During economic downturns, when other industries struggled, Skydive DeLand remained strong. Tandem jumps and recreational experiences continued to attract visitors. Equipment manufacturing remained active. That stability helped support the broader local economy during difficult periods.
The people who make up the skydiving community are also deeply engaged locally. Many longtime jumpers and industry professionals participate in other civic and community activities throughout DeLand. For those who retire from jumping, many continue to invest their energy in the town they have come to call home.
In 2025, the Skydive DeLand community experienced a devastating loss.
Bob Hallett, one of the two original founders and the majority shareholder of the company, passed away unexpectedly following a traffic accident on his way to work. He had been with the company since its early days and remained actively involved in daily operations.
Bob was not only a business leader but a central figure in the skydiving community. His vision and commitment helped shape Skydive DeLand into the global leader it became. His passing deeply affected employees, jumpers, manufacturers, and longtime friends across the industry.
For a company that has operated as both a workplace and a close-knit community, the loss was profound. Yet the legacy he helped build continues in the culture, the operations, and the global impact of the organization.
One story reflects just how far Skydive DeLand’s reach extends. A local Stetson professor once attended a conference in Taiwan and turned on the television in his hotel room. There was a feature about Skydive DeLand. He returned home surprised to discover that an internationally recognized skydiving center operated just minutes from where he lived.
That story captures something unique about Skydive DeLand. It has put DeLand on the world map, even if some residents are not fully aware of what happens at the airport each day.
Visitors are welcome to observe jumps from the viewing areas or enjoy the adjacent restaurant deck. Others choose to experience a tandem jump. Some begin lifelong careers in the sport. Whether someone comes to watch or to participate, Skydive DeLand remains open and active every day.
For more information, visit SkyDiveDeLand.com to learn about tandem experiences, training programs, and upcoming events.
Skydive DeLand is more than a drop zone. It is a global training center, an innovation hub, and a long-standing contributor to the DeLand community. Its history reflects ambition, resilience, and a deep commitment to both sport and town.
At first glance, a checking account is a checking account. Money comes in, money goes out, and you check the balance when you need to. But the day you start running a business, the rules change, because the risk changes. Business accounts aren’t just “bigger” consumer accounts. They typically handle more transactions, more users, more payment types, and more moving parts.
There’s another key difference many owners don’t realize until it’s too late: business accounts generally do not have the same level of consumer protections that consumer (personal) accounts do. When something goes wrong, the process, timelines, and potential liability can look very different. That’s why fraud prevention for businesses isn’t optional. It’s operational.
Consumer (personal) accounts are usually simpler:
Business accounts are different by design:
And because business accounts are treated differently than consumer accounts, the responsibility to monitor activity and catch issues early often rests more heavily on the business.
Most business owners are busy. Delegating bookkeeping is smart, because your time is valuable. But delegation without visibility is where risk grows, especially when one person has end-to-end control.
Internal fraud often looks like:
It’s rarely dramatic at the beginning. It’s usually quiet, incremental, and designed not to be noticed.
Consider Lisa, who owns a growing medical practice. She hired a bookkeeper to “handle the finances” and assumed monthly reports were enough. Lisa rarely reviewed actual transactions unless something felt off.
Over time, the bookkeeper began issuing checks to a vendor that sounded legitimate. The amounts were small—$180 here, $250 there—coded as routine office supplies. The practice was busy, revenue was strong, and nothing looked “wrong” at a high level.
Six months later, Lisa’s accountant flagged unusual expense patterns during a quarterly review. By then, the total loss wasn’t a rounding error. It was meaningful, and the cleanup took time, created stress, and required uncomfortable conversations. The hardest part wasn’t just the money; it was realizing the problem could have been caught early with simple, consistent oversight.
You don’t need to become your own bookkeeper. You just need a rhythm of review that helps you spot unusual activity quickly, especially because business accounts don’t always come with the same consumer-style protections.
Try these straightforward habits:
Strong habits matter, but systems are what help you scale safely. Depending on your business, ask about tools such as:
Surety Bank can help you evaluate which controls fit your operation, set permissions correctly, and implement tools like Positive Pay in a way that’s practical—not burdensome. The goal is to put guardrails in place that make fraud harder to commit and easier to catch, without slowing down your business.
Residential accounts are often simpler and tend to come with broader consumer-style protections. Business accounts operate differently—more volume, more access, more complexity, and often less built-in protection. That’s why vigilance isn’t just a best practice; it’s part of responsible business ownership.
Fraud prevention isn’t about paranoia. It’s about professionalism: review regularly, limit access wisely, and build systems that protect your business long before problems appear.
For cash-heavy businesses, deposit routines are not just an operations detail. They are a security issue, a controls issue, and often a cash-flow issue. When business cash gets deposited “personally,” meaning an owner or employee deposits cash through personal banking habits or into the wrong account, it can blur your recordkeeping and weaken internal controls. The IRS notes it is a good idea to keep separate business and personal accounts because it makes recordkeeping easier. The U.S. Small Business Administration also emphasizes separating funds by using a dedicated business bank account to keep bookkeeping clean and accurate.
Just as important is the security perspective. Regularly sending someone to the bank with cash exposes employees to real risk, and it creates a predictable pattern that can be exploited. The ABA Banking Journal has noted that too many cash-handling touch points, including trips to the bank, increase risk and can put employees in physical danger. Brink’s similarly points out that employees are exposed to theft risk when transporting cash, and that partnering with trained cash logistics professionals can reduce the risk of theft and increase accountability through secure transport procedures.
Some businesses try to replace bank runs with a courier pickup, but not every courier model is designed for cash. Cash transportation is high-risk, and the best solution is typically a purpose-built cash logistics provider whose job is secure cash handling, documentation, and transport. Trained cash logistics professionals and armored services are structured to reduce theft exposure and strengthen chain-of-custody and accountability, which is fundamentally different from general delivery services.
Surety Bank’s Smart Safe is designed specifically for cash-heavy businesses that want stronger security and a cleaner, more reliable deposit process. Surety explains that, through its partnership with Loomis, Smart Safe lets your business deposit cash on-site, receive provisional credit to your Surety Bank account, and eliminate unnecessary bank runs. From a security standpoint, Surety highlights benefits like real-time tracking of deposits, enhanced security for cash and employees, and better accountability with fewer cash shortages.
From a cash-flow standpoint, Surety’s process is built around speed. You enter the amount, deposit the cash into the Smart Safe device, and Surety provides provisional credit to your business account based on that entry. Loomis also describes provisional credit as daily credit for cash deposits without having to go to the bank, reducing time and helping reduce the risk of robbery outside the store.
If your business handles cash, the goal is to reduce handling, reduce trips, and reduce uncertainty. A strong plan usually includes keeping all business cash activity in business accounts and processes with clear documentation and daily reconciliation, minimizing manual bank runs, and using a Smart Safe with a professional cash logistics partner so deposits are tracked and transport is handled by specialists.
Contact our Treasury Services department today to learn how Smart Safe can help you strengthen security, simplify deposits, and improve visibility into your cash.
Adding a new product or service can significantly increase revenue for an MSB. Whether it is money transmission, ATM services, or another offering, early coordination with the bank helps ensure your new service launches smoothly and begins generating income as quickly as possible.
Many service-related delays occur when new offerings are added without notifying the bank in advance.
Each product or service comes with specific monitoring, reporting, and account requirements. The bank must be able to review activity accurately and ensure it aligns with regulatory expectations.
When a new service is launched without notice, activity may flow into the wrong account or lack required reporting. Fixing these issues after the service is live often causes delays or temporary interruptions.
ATM Services
If you are adding an ATM, the bank typically requires:
ATM activity cannot be combined with other MSB transactions due to reconciliation and compliance requirements.
Money Transmission Services
This includes services such as Western Union or other money transfer providers.
While these services may not require a separate account, they do require monthly reporting. At a minimum, reports must include:
These reports allow the bank to identify patterns, monitor risk, and meet regulatory obligations.
Even if a third-party provider has its own compliance program, the bank is still responsible for monitoring the activity flowing through your accounts.
Some MSBs assume that because a vendor manages compliance on their side, the bank does not need reporting. This is a common misconception. Ultimately, the funds flow through the bank, and the bank must conduct its own review.
Failing to provide required reporting can delay approvals, reviews, and future expansion plans.
Adding services often requires:
When these steps are completed in advance, services can go live quickly. When handled after launch, they often result in delays, holds, or additional review.
Growth is a positive step for any MSB. Whether you are adding a new product, service, or location, early communication with the bank helps ensure the process is efficient and compliant.
Starting the conversation early allows the bank to guide you, prepare properly, and help you move forward with fewer obstacles and less frustration.
If expansion is even a possibility, reaching out now can save significant time later.
Opening a new location is an exciting milestone for any MSB. New storefronts mean new customers, increased volume, and business growth. However, opening a new branch also brings additional banking, compliance, and operational requirements that must be completed before you can begin operating.
One of the most common causes of delayed openings is a lack of early or consistent communication with the bank. When the bank is informed early and kept in the loop, the process moves faster and far more smoothly.
From the bank’s perspective, opening a new MSB location is not simply adding another address. There are multiple regulatory, licensing, and operational steps that must be completed before the first transaction can take place.
We often see situations where a customer notifies the bank months in advance, receives a checklist of required items, then communication stops. When the customer reconnects and is ready to open, none of the required steps have been completed. At that point, the bank cannot approve activity, even if the storefront is ready.
Consistent communication ensures both sides stay aligned and prevents last-minute delays.
Depending on the state, services offered, and geographic location, opening a new branch may require:
Even experienced MSBs are sometimes surprised to learn that requirements vary by state and location. A location that works in one market may require different preparation in another.
Many MSBs assume that once a lease is signed and the store is ready, operations can begin immediately. From a banking and regulatory standpoint, this is not always the case.
If required licenses, amendments, or system testing are not completed, the bank cannot allow the location to operate. This is not meant to slow down your business. It is meant to protect both your operation and the bank from compliance violations.
The most efficient openings share a few things in common:
When communication stays consistent, opening timelines are shorter, approvals are smoother, and unexpected delays are far less likely.
Business Banking
Surety Bank continually works to provide greater accessibility to all of its products and services. If you have any questions about accessible banking, call us at 386-734-1647
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