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Chances are your homebased business requires monetary transactions. Maybe you have a credit-card merchant account or send bills through the mail. But upkeep on a merchant account can be costly and mail can be slow. AdvanceMeant's Draft Creator check acceptance software makes for some nice middle ground. Available only over the Internet at www.advancemeants.com, it allows you to accept checks by phone, fax machine, e-mail and the Internet.

After a simple setup, it's ready to create bank drafts from the information your customers provide: their account number and bank routing number from the bottom of a regular check, check number, bank name and phone number, and personal contact information. You then fill the information into the Draft Creator interface as if you were filling in a check onscreen. The draft you print of their check contains the message, "Payment authorized by accountholder. Indemnification agreement provided by: [your company name.]" This allows you to deposit the draft into your business account as you would any regular check.