Deluxe Corporation: America’s Trusted Check Brand

Checks have always been one of the preferred methods of payment. Despite technological advancements of doing business, most of those big transactions are carried out using checks. The printing of checks is normally done by third party businesses other than banks. In the United States, the second largest company involved in the designing and printing of checks is Deluxe Corporation.

Established as the Deluxe Check Printers in 1915, the company keeps its main office in the suburb of Shoreview, Minnesota. Its founder W.R. Hotchkiss is also the creator of some innovations like the Hotchkiss Lithograph Press (1928), Hotchkiss Imprinting Press (1925) and a two-way perforator (1925). The company he founded was also the pioneering business in the new MICR check printing technology. Just like any other businesses, the company was also faced with financial challenges. This happened when the demand of their products in the 1980s declined and competing businesses emerged rapidly. It was in 1988 that the business changed its branding to Deluxe Corporation. This happened after the company survived those lean financial years.

Currently, Deluxe has 33 facilities in the United States and has 3 other locations in Canada that are mainly involved in administrative functions, fulfillment, printing and call center. It has two other subsidiaries, namely McBee (formerly Royal McBee) and New England Business Services, Inc. (NEBS) and Checks Unlimited. All businesses are organized into three major segments: Deluxe Financial Services, Deluxe Small Business and Direct Checks. Their Financial Services arm deals with banks and other financial institutions, their Small Business transacts with home offices and small businesses and their Direct Checks unit deals with consumers directly.

Deluxe Corporation has hosted more than 730,000 websites for businesses and individuals. They have over 4.5 million active small business customers in addition to their 5,517 financial institution clients. The company has become America’s best known check brand.