Paymaster Corporation was a Chicago-based company that manufactured and sold Paymaster check writers, which could be found at banks and small businesses throughout the United States and Canada. Check writers were sold with a warranty against alteration of checks. This warranty was a renewal license fee.
Check writers were sold and financed directly by the company. Typically payments of $10 per month were mailed directly to the 24 N. Wabash address. Some accounts were "transferred" to the Reliance Finance Company. Reliance was another business wholly controlled by the Paymaster Corp and manned by the same staff. The only difference being the stationary that was used to contact customers.
Collection letters were all signed "C. V. Johnson". Chester Johnson was an actual person at the office and was the president's right-hand man. If customers became behind in payments letters bearing the signature and stationary of Bernard W Mages, ESQ would be used. Although these letters were hand typed on manual typewriters by the same personnel who created the Paymaster and Reliance Finance letters, they were actually signed by Attorney Mages in his office at 25 West Washington, Chicago, IL.