"Balance" in "Maintain Customer Records"

[Lee L]

We're using PC 9 with Win XP. Some of the records in Maintain Customer Records in the Accounts Receivable module have strange balances. If I run an Individual Account Statement for the entire time period we've used PC, I get a different balance than what's in the customer record. What does the balance in the customer record include? Is there any reason not to just change the balance to match the account statements?
Also, is there any way to combine customer records, for example, if we've erroneously gotten the same family in there twice?
Thanks for any help!