Each depositor insured to at least $250,000 per insured bank

Applied Card Bank (formerly known as Cross Country Bank), Wilmington, Delaware, contacted the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to report that counterfeit checks bearing the institution's name are in circulation.

The counterfeit items display the routing number 031100966, which is assigned to Applied Card Bank. However, the counterfeit items are markedly dissimilar to authentic checks. Authentic checks have a logo with the bank's name written across it in the top-left portion of the check. The counterfeit items contain only the bank's name in the top-left portion of the check. Applied Card Bank is located in Delaware; however, the counterfeit items reflect a North Carolina address. The counterfeit items also display a telephone number, which authentic checks do not. A copy of a counterfeit item and an authentic check (VOID) are attached for your review.

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

Larry J. Regan
Assistant Vice President
Applied Card Bank
800 Delaware Avenue
Wilmington, DE 19801
Telephone: (302) 326-4200
Fax: 302-467-4985
Larry_Regan@Appliedcardbank.com

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

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

Attachment (not available electronically)

NOTE: As a security precaution, the FDIC does not post to its Web site online copies of fraudulent instruments or copies of the genuine instruments that have been counterfeited. This is to avoid attempts by others to use the electronic versions of these instruments to facilitate additional fraud. Printed copies of fraudulent instruments are mailed with the Special Alert letter to the financial institutions on the letter's distribution list (generally, FDIC-supervised banks – commercial and savings). Printed copies of the Special Alert and its attachment(s) may also be obtained from the FDIC's Public Information Center, 801 17^th Street, NW, Room 100, Washington, DC 20434 (telephone: 1-877-275-3342 or (703) 562-2200; fax: (703) 562-2296; or e-mail: publicinfo@fdic.gov).

Distribution: FDIC-Supervised Banks (Commercial and Savings)