Dayton-based gift certificate company files for bankruptcy

DAYTON (AP) — A company that sold gift certificates to thousands of businesses and individuals around the country has filed for bankruptcy protection.

CertifiChecks Inc., which abruptly closed in February, filed for Chapter 7 on Monday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

A recorded message at the court clerk’s number for automated case information said a meeting of the company’s creditors was scheduled for June 10.

CertifiChecks Inc. had operated in 47 states.

Its gift certificates, worth up to $100, were offered as promotional items by companies and chambers of commerce to steer business to local restaurants and retailers that accepted the certificates.

In a message on its Web site last updated March 9, the Dayton-based company said it shut down because of an “extremely difficult economic environment” and warned businesses that redeemed the certificates for goods or services not to deposit them in a bank because they would be returned.