PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

A message from Glenn Stevens, President, New Jersey Financial Service Centers

Welcome to the official website of New Jersey Financial Service Centers (NJFSC), the trade organization of the New Jersey licensed check cashing and community financial services industry.  We recently changed our name from the New Jersey Check Cashers Association to NJFSC to more accurately reflect the evolution of our industry into full service financial services providers.

NJFSC’s members provide community-based financial services including check cashing, money order sales, funds transfers and utility bill payment services, to name just a few.  We serve thousands of New Jersey customers every day, both the banked and un-banked, who use us for the advantages that we provide: convenient access, value, friendly service and the ability to obtain instant liquidity.  The most common service that we provide is a place for hard-working people to cash their paychecks, a necessary service that they cannot always obtain at a bank, or choose not to.

NJFSC members are dedicated to the neighborhoods they serve.  Most of our customers are repeat customers who know us and use us on a regular basis.  Our employees are often from the local community.  Many of our members are active on the local level, both politically and in their support of charitable causes.

Our industry is regulated by the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, in accordance with the New Jersey Check Cashers Regulatory Act.  Our locations are licensed and subject to periodic examination by both the Department of Banking and the Internal Revenue Service.  Our fees are regulated by law, and are in fact among the lowest in the United States. 

The mission of NJFSC is to meet the growing needs of our members with advocacy, information, and education.  Members benefit from legislative advocacy, information on new issues and trends affecting the industry, and periodic educational offerings on regulatory compliance.  We hold periodic Membership Meetings to update the industry on pending legislative issues, new developments, and even new products and services.  Perhaps most importantly, NJFSC is the voice of the industry in Trenton, New Jersey, and (through FiSCA, our national affiliate) in Washington, D.C.  

NJFSC truly serves the interests of our industry and collective membership.  NJFSC operates under the guidance of our Executive Committee and Board of Directors, which are comprised of New Jersey’s leaders in the community financial services industry.   Several of our Board members also serve as directors to FiSCA, thereby ensuring that our interests are represented on the national level.   Collectively, our Board of Directors brings decades of experience and leadership to our association.

As an additional value to our members, we offer associate membership to key financial institutions, vendors and services providers of the financial services industry.  They offer expertise in banking, remittances, data systems, and other important products and services.  We encourage you to visit the vendor page which lists associate members and their contact information.

Notwithstanding what critics of the industry say, the New Jersey check casher industry is part of the financial main stream.  Nevertheless, we must remain united and vigilant against inappropriate regulatory actions or legislative agendas that threaten the industry and our ability to serve our customers.  Some of the main issues affecting the industry today include bank terminations of MSB accounts, pending new Banking Department regulations and legislation, illegal check cashers, and federal Anti-Money Laundering compliance requirements.  Other important trends to watch include Check 21 and check imaging technology, expansion of stored value card products, and new point-of-banking technology that can permit check cashers to take bank deposits.  NJFSC is active in all of these areas and more.  We urge you to get involved. 

Please visit the various sections of our website, and consider joining and attending our next scheduled membership meeting. Also, please contact us with any questions you may have.

Sincerely,

Glenn Stevens, NJFSC President