SAN DIMAS, Calif. – WesCorp has declared August Check 21 month, and it is planning a lot of education efforts to get member questions answered. Check 21 of course is the law that encourages electronic image exchange. Corporates and item processors throughout the country have been gearing up for the Oct. 28 implementation date. However, most effects of Check 21 won't be noticeable right away, and that's been one of the problems with educating members, said Teresa Ward, WesCorp's VP of Item Processing Services. There's so much information out there, but a lot of what happens will depend on how the market reacts and how quickly they gear up for image exchange. In each week of August, WesCorp will do something different as part of Check 21 month. In the first week it posted the new consumer disclosure documents on its Web site. The Fed is pushing for institutions to inform their customers about changes they may see from check 21, most notably the substitute check. In the second week, WesCorp is sending out a Check 21 kit to all its credit unions with various materials explaining Check 21, including a very bright Check 21 poster that credit unions can hang in their branches (see image). Other WesCorp Check 21 month events include a Check 21 Webinar on Aug. 24 as well as a membership survey about Check 21. The corporate is also setting up a Check 21 hotline for any member questions. Ward said one interesting thing about image exchange, is it really won't be cost effective until the bulk of institutions are on board. If credit unions are too out in front they'll find themselves having to convert images back to paper.