Why Are Some Hudson Valley Residents Receiving $50 Checks?

Did you receive a random $50 check in the mail recently? Here's why!

Thousands of Hudson Valley residents have reported that they have received a random check in the mail, leaving them wondering if the checks are real and okay to deposit or if they are part of another scam.

Hudson Valley Residents Get Checks in the Mail

We've heard from numerous Hudson Valley residents recently asking if we knew anything about why they would have received a random $50 check in the mail. Recipients explained that the checks were issued from the “Town of Saugerties et al v Columbia Utilities Power LLC, et Commerce West Bank" and are written out "payable" to the person who lives at the mailing address. Most folks who got one are wondering if its ok to cash them or not?

If you've received one of these checks, we have confirmed that they are legitimate and can be safely deposited into your bank accounts.

Why Did I Get A Check?

The checks are part of a settlement, which was reached last year, that requires Columbia Utilities Power LLC, an energy services company operating in the Hudson Valley, to pay $1.5 million after it failed to provide the low-cost renewable energy it promised its customers. Residents and small businesses who participated Community Choice Aggregation (CAA) plan called Hudson Valley Community Power, which allowed local governments to buy electricity for their residents and businesses from an alternative supplier, are eligible for a portion of the settlement.

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Residents entered into the CAA, which was handled by Joule Assets, a local company that brokers renewable power to customers across the state in 2021, and were promised a rate that was supposed to be 35% cheaper than the standard rate at the time offered by Central Hudson.

Too Good to Be True?

After a year, Joule Assets and 10 of the municipalities involved were informed that it wasn't the case and joined forces to sue Columbia for breach of contract and demanded that the contract be terminated early and transfer customers back to Central Hudson, according to the Times Union.

Hudson Valley Areas Eligible for Settlement Money

Approximately 25,000 residents who live or lived in the cities of Beacon and Poughkeepsie, the towns of Saugerties, Clinton, Marbletown, Philipstown, New Paltz, and Red Hook, as well as the villages of Cold Spring and New Paltz, are expected to receive a $50 check, according to the settlement website.