LOCKBOX SERVICES

What is a Lockbox?*

Steady cash flow – the proverbial thorn in every business owner’s side. The answer to your woes is simple: the lockbox, a company mailbox maintained and operated by Provident. Lockboxes can be established in multiple locations convenient to your highest sources of cash flow to hasten the collection process.

Simply mail your payments to your lockbox address and we open the mail and deposit the checks into your checking or savings account. We also use image capture technology to make electronic copies – front and back—of coupons, checks, invoices, and envelopes and send you a daily report. This data is also available to your employees through Online Lockbox.

The Benefits

• Administrative Savings: Eliminates the costs associated with processing items in-house and protects against internal theft and check fraud.
• Increased Funds Availability: Improves availability of funds by reducing mail and processing float. Your money is more readily accessible for deposit, investment, disbursement, or debt reduction.
• Updated Customer Records: Immediate updates to customer records resulting from lockbox data transmission.
• Simplified Record Keeping: The automated system minimizes processing errors, providing a timely update of accounts receivable, producing an audit trail, endorsing specific items, and generating a report listing items in batch and sequence order. It retains detailed records of each captured image and can transfer files to a drive or CD-ROM for long-term storage. The system interfaces easily with all major networks and most accounting software.
• Same-Day Decisioning: Rejected payments can be viewed online for same-day decisioning and posting. 
• Uninterrupted Processing Workflow and Disaster Recovery: Because data is stored in the cloud, you’ll never lose access to your files or money due to a natural disaster or other calamity.

Will It Work For You?

Because of the associated processing fees, the lockbox is not cost-effective for every organization. It usually works best for businesses that process a large volume of payments, such as utility companies, property management companies, municipal authorities, manufacturing companies, medical billing companies, etc. However, because increased automation has significantly reduced the cost of payment processing, banks can be more flexible, customizing their services to fit ever smaller businesses with lower payment volume.

The lockbox is a highly effective cash flow tool and data management system that can enhance your efficiency and productivity and, ultimately, save you money. To learn more about how it may work for your business, contact one of our Treasury Management Officers for an evaluation of your requirements and customized pricing options – the lockbox may hold the key to your success.

^{*Subject to additional terms and conditions and/or fees.}