Understanding Cashed Checks: A Guide for Account Accuracy

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Banks offer a variety of services to their customers including online and offline checking, 24-hour ATM access, debit and credit cards and online and offline accounting statements. A primary product and service that many people use are checking accounts. Although many banks provide electronic banking, even in a growing virtual world, consumers continue to write hard copy checks. Keeping your bank balance accurate at times involves knowing when a check was cashed. You can also spot identification fraud if you review the back of endorsed and processed checks that you write to pay expenses, send gifts and make charitable donations.

Step 1

Look at the recipient's signature or business stamp at the top of the check. Confirm that the signer's name matches the recipient's name at the front of the check.

Step 2

Read the bank processor identification. If the check is for deposit only, notice the "For Deposit Only" stamp above the processing bank's identification on line two. Note the identification numbers of the bank that cashed and processed the check below the signature on line three. Review the name of the processing bank below the identification numbers on line four.

Step 3

Notice the processed date. See line five at the back of the cashed check to review the date that the bank processed your check. Examine your bank statement to confirm that the check was charged against your account on the date noted on the back of the cashed check.

Step 4

Note the processing bank's telephone number on line six. Below that, see the processing bank's city and state location. Finally, note the processing bank's parent company identification symbol and number on line eight. For example, for a federal savings and loan, you might see FHLB (Federal Home Loan Bank) followed by dashed identification numbers.