WASHINGTON -- The new peach-hued U.S. $20 bill will be introduced at U.S. banks and businesses Oct. 9, officials plan to announce today, Tuesday's Wall Street Journal reported.

The introduction into circulation of the new bill, a makeover of a bill previously redesigned in 1998, is meant to thwart increasingly high-tech counterfeiters. And even though it was not meant to be a security measure, the most prominent new feature of the bills, the addition of subtle peach, green and blue background colors, is expected to make counterfeiting harder.

The Federal Reserve and Treasury will flood the U.S. and overseas outlets with up to 900 million of the new notes next month, issuing only the new $20 through the end of October and withholding previously circulated $20s until November.

The front of the bills feature the familiar Andrew Jackson portrait, with a new peach background and without its old oval border. The back of the bill features a similar multihued scheme.