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Bad Check Collections

Janet E. Stalf, Investigator

The Office of the Prosecuting Attorney will assist you with the collection of funds lost due to checks, were denied due to non-sufficient funds (NSF) or closed accounts. Please keep in mind that the check must have been presented in Steuben County, Indiana.

If you have received a check and have been denied payment by the bank due to non- sufficient funds or closed account and you would like the Prosecuting Attorney's office to assist you in collecting these funds, please do the following:

  1. Send a letter (sample form letter available below) by certified mail to the person who wrote the check, and be sure to keep a copy of the letter for your records.
  2. If you receive no response from the person after 10 days of his/her receipt of the letter (date on certified return receipt), bring or mail to this office the following: the original bad check or imaged copy of the bad check, the bad check complaint form, and a copy of letter and signed certified return receipt card.
  3. If your letter is returned to you unclaimed, moved, or refused, etc., bring or mail to this office the following: the original bad check or imaged copy of the bad check, the bad check complaint form, and letter.
  4. DO NOT ACCEPT PARTIAL PAYMENTS ON THE BAD CHECK!!!
  5. We CANNOT prosecute on a post-dated check, or a check that was held for a certain period of time by agreement of both parties.
  6. If you turn the matter over to this office, we must have the original check, copy of letter you sent, and certified return receipt card or the entire certified mail letter.
  7. A $27.50 protest fee will be collected on each check, in addition to the amount the check was written for. $14.50 of this fee will be distributed to the complainant, and $13.00 will be collected by the Prosecuting Attorney for deposit to the Steuben County General Fund.

We will make efforts to contact the writer of the check to obtain restitution on behalf of the person or business that received the check. In the event that we are unable to obtain restitution, criminal charges may be filed against the person who wrote the check.

For more information or questions, please contact Janet Stalf at the Prosecuting Attorney's office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays.