Cash Cow for Chick-fil-A

Bank of America, Charlotte, N.C., announced that Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A is piloting a cash-management technology that will automate and simplify cash handling and give the quick-serve restaurant chain faster access to funds.

The patent-pending solution from Bank of America is a sophisticated cash-handling device that is located in the merchant’s back office and that accepts, counts and secures cash. The device includes a “rapid-recognition” feature that communicates directly with Bank of America, allowing funds to be credited to the retailer’s deposit accounts, even while the currency is still in store locations.

Another key capability is that the technology can give corporate executives comprehensive, real-time visibility of receipts across all payment types—including cash, check and card transactions—for all of their geographic locations.

At presstime, Chick-fil-A had begun testing the hardware in select store locations and expected to begin using the rapid-recognition capability within the coming weeks.

‘Washing Out’ Identity Theft

The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), a nonprofit organization based in San Diego, and Uni-Ball Pens have partnered to increase awareness of identity theft. As part of a national campaign, they recently released a list of the top 50 U.S. cities victimized by identity theft in 2006.

Phoenix topped the list and, unsurprisingly, populous cities including New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago were included in the top 50. What was unexpected was the smaller cities that made the list, such as Birmingham, Ala., and Buffalo, N.Y.

Criteria for identifying the top 50 cities were based on the number of identity-theft complaints reported in the Federal Trade Commission’s 2006 annual report, adjusted to compare the occurrences per capita in major U.S. metropolitan areas

Additionally, Uni-Ball has launched a campaign to encourage businesses and consumers to secure signatures by using pens that help prevent a type of check fraud called “check washing.” Many gel pens use inks that are specially formulated with color pigments and are absorbed into the paper fibers. If an individual attempts to wash or lift the information, the ink remains “trapped” within the fibers of the paper, helping prevent check or document washing.