Union County Savings Bank, Elizabeth, New Jersey, has reported to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) that counterfeit cashier's checks are in circulation. The counterfeit instruments are drawn upon the bank, but do not display the bank's routing number of 096016765. The counterfeit instruments closely resemble the authentic checks; however, the authentic items are printed on check paper with a colored background and have an artificial watermark on the back. A copy of a counterfeit check and a copy of an authentic official check (void) are attached for your review.

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

Mr. Robert Auster
Assistant Vice President
Union County Savings Bank
320 North Broad Street
Elizabeth, New Jersey 07208
Telephone: (908) 354-4600
Fax: (908) 354-4484

California National Bank, Los Angeles, California, has also reported to the FDIC that counterfeit cashier's checks are in circulation. The counterfeit instruments are drawn upon the bank, but do not display the bank's proper routing number of 322284892. In the upper left-hand corner of the authentic checks, the bank's address and logo as well as the symbols for Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC are displayed. A copy of a counterfeit check and a copy of an authentic official check (void) are attached for your review.

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

Ms. Irma Rios-Rodriguez
Loss Prevention Officer
California National Bank
221 S. Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, California 90012
Telephone: (213) 443-1752
Fax: (213) 620-8760

Information about these financial institutions or instruments may be forwarded to the FDIC's Special Activities Section, 550 17th Street, N.W., Room F-4040, Washington, D.C. 20429, or transmitted electronically to alert@fdic.gov. Information related to federal deposit insurance or consumer issues should be submitted to the FDIC using an online form that can be accessed at http://www2.fdic.gov/starsmail/index.asp.

For your reference, FDIC Special Alerts may be accessed from the FDIC's Web site at www.fdic.gov/news/news/SpecialAlert/2004/index.html. To learn how to automatically receive FDIC Special Alerts, Financial Institution Letters and other announcements through e-mail, please visit www.fdic.gov/news/news/announcements/index.html.

Attachments (not available electronically)

Distribution: FDIC-Supervised Banks (Commercial and Savings)

NOTE: Paper copies of FDIC Special Alerts may be obtained through the FDIC's Public Information Center, 801 17th Street, NW, Room 100, Washington, DC 20434 (1-877-275-3342 or (703) 562-2200).