ATB Financial - Business Deposit Accounts

Business Cheques
The new specifications in Standard 006 require all businesses to modify their cheques, and many have done so since the publication of the Standard in January 2005. At this point, all businesses ordering new cheques should ensure that they meet the new specifications.

To help their business customers make a smooth transition, financial institutions are providing a grace period for "old format" business cheques until September 2, 2008. This extended transition or "grace period" will allow businesses that are still working on the changes to use up their existing supply of cheques and to make any required changes to software.

Personal Cheques
Formats for personal cheques have also been modified. Financial institutions and their printing industry partner have been filling orders from customers with "new format" cheques since April 2005. Consumers with a supply of "old format" personal cheques can continue to use them until they need to re-order, provided that a good image can be captured from them. Based on experience to date, the vast majority of personal cheques are already "image friendly".

How this affects you will depend on which of the following categories you fall into:

If you ordered cheques from ATB or Davis & Henderson after April 2005, your cheques already meet the new standards and you are not affected.

If you ordered prior to April 2005, please visit a branch the next time you need to reorder cheques.

If you print your own cheques, or have them printed for you, call or visit your branch to ensure that your cheque design meets the new standards.

Overview of the New Specifications

Changes to cheque specifications in Standard 006, Part A include:

Adoption of a numeric date field in one of three specified formats (YYYYMMDD, MMDDYYYY or DDMMYYYY). It is essential that field indicators be printed below the date field to indicate which format is being used. Bilingual date field indicators are accommodated for cheques using the international date format (YYYYMMDD).
A mandatory serial number in the MICR line encoded at the bottom of the cheque (the serial number was previously an optional field in the MICR line).
An increase in the minimum length of cheques to 6 ¼”, or 15.88 cm, from 6”, to ensure there is sufficient space for the mandatory serial number in the MICR line.
Specified positions for key fields on the cheque, including the date field and the amount in figures.
Disallowance of elements that may hinder the capture of images or data from the cheque. For example, inverse printing, italics or slanted fonts, a bottom border printed below the MICR line, and the use of black carbon on the reverse of cheques will not be permitted.
A provision to ensure that security features do not interfere with key data, or “areas of interest”, as defined in Standard 006, Part A, either prior to imaging or post imaging. In particular, if a VOID pantograph or other hidden pantograph is used, the pantograph must not be visible on images captured from original cheques.
New printing requirements on the reverse of the cheque so that image capture can be verified.
Some revisions to technical specifications (e.g. Print Contrast Signal) to ensure high-quality images can be captured. For example, some complex or colourful backgrounds that have been used on cheques to date may interfere with image quality and may need to be changed.

See our Frequently Asked Questions.

If you're unsure if your cheques meet the new specifications, or you'd like to speak with an ATB representative, please contact your local branch or call 1-877-212-8585. Fore more information about the CPA's new specifications, please visit the CPA's website at www.cdnpay.ca. You may also contact the CPA's Communications and Education Division directly at (613) 238-4173.