IRON MOUNTAIN -- Jennifer Thelander has always been quick to write a check at the grocery store or a restaurant.  But lately she's finding more and more businesses aren't accepting checks.

"It's frustrating when you don't have cash or you don't want to use a credit card to not be able to write a check," said Thelander.

Thelander and others are finding out that fewer and fewer businesses are accepting personal checks, especially from out of state, which can be difficult for border communities like Iron Mountain.

Laurie Michaud has owned Jean Kay's Pasties in Iron Mountain for the last five years.  Her business doesn't accept out of state checks because of the problems a bounced check can cause.

"It's harder to get the money back from out of state,” said Michaud.  “It's easier to get the money back from somebody that lives in Detroit than it is to get it back from someone in Spread Eagle (Wisconsin)."

If a check is bounced, it's the responsibility of the business owner to approach the county prosecutor to try and resolve the issue, which can be time consuming.

Iron Mountain Police Chief Pete Flaminio said some businesses have chosen to accept cards, but not checks, for security reasons.

"For the amount of money that was being lost by merchants on these non-sufficient funds and closed account check cases, it's worth the investment for them to have a little more security and technology,” said Flaminio.  “It helps out quite a bit."

Thelander said she will keep writing checks whenever possible even if it's becoming more and more difficult.