Drop in Check-Writing Predicted: In a sign...

Drop in Check-Writing Predicted: In a sign that Americans really are likely to do more of their banking electronically, the nation’s largest check printer said it is restructuring to prepare for declining check use. Gus Blanchard, chief executive of Deluxe Corp., expects the check-printing business to shrink gradually in coming years. About 60 billion checks are written annually in the United States. That number grows about 1% a year. But Deluxe said it expects it to level off in the next two to three years and then begin to fall early in the next century. He said similar experiences in Britain and other countries where checks are falling out of favor show the decline will be steady. To get ready for the reversal, St. Paul, Minn.-based Deluxe plans to shake itself up. Staff cuts and plant closings are in the works as the company moves toward diversifying beyond check printing.