Local liquor stores hit hard by bad checks

In his 22 years in the wine and spirits business in Fort Collins, Phil Pringle said he has never had a problem such as the one his store is experiencing now.

Pringle, owner of Pringle’s Fine Wine and Spirits in Fort Collins, said a rash of bad checks from one particular bank has caused him to stop accepting any checks drawn on that bank.

Pringle estimates that he has received between $1,000 and $2,500 worth of bounced checks from Academy Bank accounts.

Colorado Springs-based Academy Bank has $126 million in assets and four Northern Colorado branches – three located inside Wal-Mart Supercenters in…