Exhibit 31.1
                                  CERTIFICATION
                          PURSUANT TO 17 CFR 240.13a-14
                                PROMULGATED UNDER
                  SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

I, Stephen J. Benedetti, certify that:

1.                    I have  reviewed  this  quarterly  report  on Form 10-Q of
                      Merit Securities Corporation;

2.                    Based on my  knowledge,  this  report does not contain any
                      untrue  statement  of a  material  fact or omit to state a
                      material fact  necessary to make the  statements  made, in
                      light of the  circumstances  under  which such  statements
                      were  made,  not  misleading  with  respect  to the period
                      covered by this report;

3.                    Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other
                      financial  information  included  in this  report,  fairly
                      present in all material respects the financial  condition,
                      results of operations  and cash flows of the registrant as
                      of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4.                    The  registrant's  other  certifying  officer  and  I  are
                      responsible for  establishing  and maintaining  disclosure
                      controls and  procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules
                      13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the registrant and we have:

(a)                   designed  such  disclosure  controls  and  procedures,  or
                      caused  such  disclosure  controls  and  procedures  to be
                      designed  under our  supervision,  to ensure that material
                      information  relating  to the  registrant,  including  its
                      consolidated  subsidiaries,  is made known to us by others
                      within those entities,  particularly  during the period in
                      which this quarterly report is being prepared;

(b)                   evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure
                      controls and  procedures  and presented in this report our
                      conclusions  about  the  effectiveness  of the  disclosure
                      controls  and  procedures  as of the  end  of  the  period
                      covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(c)                   disclosed  in this  report any change in the  registrant's
                      internal  control over  financial  reporting that occurred
                      during the  registrant's  most recent fiscal  quarter (the
                      registrant's  fourth  fiscal  quarter  in the  case  of an
                      annual  report)  that  has  materially  affected,   or  is
                      reasonably likely to materially  affect,  the registrant's
                      internal control of financial reporting; and

5.                    The  registrant's  other  certifying  officer  and I  have
                      disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal
                      control  over  financial  reporting,  to the  registrant's
                      auditors and the audit committee of the registrant's board
                      of  directors  (or  persons   performing   the  equivalent
                      function):

(a)                   all significant  deficiencies  and material  weaknesses in
                      the design or operation of internal control over financial
                      reporting which are reasonably  likely to adversely affect
                      the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and
                      report financial information; and

(b)                   any  fraud,   whether  or  not  material,   that  involves
                      management or other employees who have a significant  role
                      in  the  registrant's   internal  control  over  financial
                      reporting.




Dated:  May 21, 2004             By:      /s/ Stephen J. Benedetti
                                        ----------------------------------------
                                        Stephen J. Benedetti
                                        Principal Executive Officer



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