It’s that time of year when potential candidates are gearing up to prepare for the 2018 NCP (National Check Professional) exam. EPCOR currently has 114 member NCPs, including 20 who earned their certification in 2017.
We are really excited about the success our program has helped our members achieve! Thanks to the dedication and hard work of the program participants, the EPCOR region has produced the top scorers on the exam the past five years. Now, that’s something to brag about! The most recent top scorer, Tara McGlocklin, NCP, from First Western Bank in Rogers, Arkansas graciously shared her experience with us in an issue of News You Can Use earlier this year. All states within the EPCOR region now have at least one NCP!
I am often asked why becoming an NCP would be beneficial to a financial institution. In the last year, studies have shown that the decline in check volume has actually started to slow down. Believe it or not, billions of checks continue to be written and processed through the Federal Reserve Bank annually. Becoming an NCP not only helps you understand the check rules and regulations, but will also help you understand the check image files that are being transmitted today.
What’s in all of this for you? A lot! Achieving the NCP accreditation clearly demonstrates your commitment and dedication to payments excellence and boosts your reputation in the industry by:
- Recognizing your knowledge and comprehension of check payments
- Recognizing you as a leader in your field
- Strengthening your professional credibility
- Demonstrating your commitment to customer/member service
- Demonstrating your commitment to staying abreast of industry trends and topics of interest
- Positioning you for professional advancement
The best news is that you don’t have to prepare for the exam all on your own. EPCOR’s NCP Prep Course begins January 12, 2018, and consists of 11 webinars, 3 interactive courses and a recorded lecture hall so you can prepare for the exam conveniently from the comfort of your own office. For a complete listing of all webinars, dates and times, please click here.
The member price of the NCP Prep Course is $695 and registration is open now. To register for the exam, you must go to www.eccho.org and click on the NCP tab at the top of the page. The cost for the exam is $400 if your institution is an ECCHO member and $500 if your institution is not an ECCHO member.
Previous attendees have shared their thoughts on the exam process and their participation in the NCP Prep Course:
“The prep course offered by EPCOR is a wonderful program. Every webinar was well organized and easy to understand. The instructor was always available to answer any questions we might have. We were provided with some quizzes and exams to solidify our understanding of the material and if an area needed further explanation, the instructor was quick to review that subject again. When it came to taking the exam I felt that I had been provided with all the tools necessary to be successful.”
—Jill San Paolo, NCP, Central Bank of the Ozarks
“EPCOR’s NCP Prep Course is a great way to study for the exam. The course is well laid out into weekly study sessions, plus the live webinars are a must. It is a bit overwhelming at first but the weekly schedule puts everything into perspective. Marcy explains everything in easy to understand terms. I would recommend the program to anyone wanting to take the exam.”
—Frances Hawkins, AAP, NCP, Farmers Bank & Savings
One comment repeatedly heard from many of our NCP Prep Course participants is that despite their years of dealing with checks or working in a financial institution, after taking the course or the exam, they still come away learning something new about check rules and regulations that they never knew before.
What are you waiting for? Register today and become the check image expert at your organization!