![]() |
Personal Finance Information |
|
|
How Check 21 Affects You
The Check 21 Law is the new federal law for financial institutions and has taken effect last October 28, 2004. Before the Check 21 law was enacted, your paper check had to be physically transported from where the check was paid out before it could be deposited to the financial institution. Now, even if it has always been prudent for you to keep money in your account to pay for the checks you've issued, this law makes it imperative. Here are some of the other effects The Check 21 Law will have on you and fellow consumers. You will no longer receive the original paper checks you issued, as your bank won't have these. The probabilities of your checks clearing sooner have increased. If you don't have funds to cover this amount, your check will bounce. So don't make out a check when your checking account has insufficient funds, you'll be severely penalized. On the minus side is, you will not be able to access the funds you've issued a check for, as the new law doesn't include shorter check hold times. Because of the shorter time in process the checks, your banks will be able to save money in processing your checks, but they are not required under the law to share these savings with you. For each kind of copy, your check will have different rights attached with it. For instance, Check 21 has created a new paper copy of an electronic image of a check and is called the "substitute check." This substitute check can be a legal equivalent of the original check, and right attached to this, is that only a substitute check triggers your right to recredit of disputed funds. The regular copy of a check does not have this same kind of protection. If you ask for a copy of a check, your bank can send you an ordinary copy instead of this special kind of copy which triggers legal rights and protections unless you specifically ask for the substitute check. A second bank other than your issuing bank can have your original check and under this law, has the right to decide if it will keep or destroy your check. Before enactment of Check 21, your own bank could decide how long they should keep your original checks, if you didn't get these back together with your monthly statements. Under Check 21, the bank of the person you wrote the check to may decide when to destroy your check. Under the Check 21 law, you can have funds of up to $2,500 recredited to the your account in 10 business days if the check is paid twice, paid for the wrong amount, or otherwise paid in error. However, a gray area exists, does this new right apply when a paper substitute check is used in the processing of the check but is not returned to the consumer? The regulations apply this recredit right only to the consumer who was provided with a substitute check. If the check was electronically processed by all the banks it was routed through, and the consumer was not provided with a substitute check, then the check remains under state check law. If you want to safeguard your rights, you can request for a return of "substitute checks" you issued together with your monthly checking account statements. One possible difficulty lies in the amount you may pay in getting these checks back, change banks if these are too high! In essence, what the Check 21 federal law has done is shorten the gap financial institutions take in processing checks. This new law has enabled financial institutions to scan paper checks and to send images of these same checks for electronic processing. This law is an efficient and faster way to process check payments. If you need information that is more detailed about your rights on the Check 21 law, access the Federal Reserve Bank website and request for these materials: Consumer Guide to Check 21 & Substitute Checks and what you should know about your checks. John Thomson is webmaster at business personal checks where check information is a click away. Specializing in cheap personal checks.
MORE RESOURCES:
Personal-Finance - Google News |
RELATED ARTICLES
First Checking Account - When is it Time? We all know that money doesn't grow on trees, but we all need it to survive. The use of cash will only go so far in life, as you can't send it through the mail. Grocery Savings - Your Kitchen is a Goldmine! Your food budget is the most flexible area of your household budget. Grocery savings will free up a significant amount of money if you need to balance the budget, or fund your savings accounts. Budget Planning - Its Elementary My Dear Watson Does it feel like you have to be Sherlock Holmes to solve the mystery behind balancing your personal budget? Are you living a mysterious thriller where your realization of "financial independence and security" is a vicious repeating cycle of debt? Don't be afraid?.. Top 10 Ways Managing Your Money Is Just Like Riding a Bike An avid cyclist and bike racing fan, I sit transfixed during the many hours of Tour de France coverage every July when the race rolls around. This year, during some of the less-than-scintillating early miles of the sprint stages, my mind wandered a bit, and it occurred to me that there are some interesting parallels between winning the Tour de France and winning at personal finance. Budgeting the Key to being Financially Stable Single Mother's in need of Financial GuidanceBudgeting is key to being financially stable. A budget is a systematic plan for the expenditure of a usually fixed resource, such as money or time, during a given period. Strategies for Success Holy Shenanigans! More STUFF?Loosing one's business due to lack of personal control is a sad thing. I've watched many people do just exactly that. Chex Systems - Why Every American Needs To Guard His Checking Account With His Life Most Americans have been brought up to be concerned about a good personal credit rating, because of the role a positive rating can play in your long term plans; purchasing a home, buying a car, getting a business loan, etc. They have also been made to understand that the premier organizations that pretty much hold the key to their financial futures are Equifax, TransUnion and Experian. Saving Dimes Can Go a Long Way On the other hand, there are those people who are saving dimes and every other cent. Perhaps its because they hate the clutter of change but want to get rid of it instead of letting it accumulate elsewhere or still rely on the fact that change has value and should be used accordingly. Why You Should Seek Professional Help With Asset Management Everyone needs to maintain their lives. What I mean by that is that we all need to take certain measures to make sure that we have a home, transportation, food, entertainment etc. Stretching Your Grocery Dollars Shopping for groceries is an inevitable fact of our ever busy lives. We may imagine that we are saving time by dashing in, roaming the aisles and throwing whatever looks good into the cart. Help With My Annuity The cries are heard from the distance, "I need help with my annuities." Nothing has changed. Im Broke, How Can I Afford... I'm still amazed every time someone comes to me complaining that they don't have any money to put into their business and that they're broke.I mean what have you been doing with your money man?!?Plain Truth: If you don't have any money you won't make it my friend? it's that simple. Understanding Your Finances Can Give You Power And Choice What is finance and what do you need to know? Finance can mean different things. It may refer to your personal financial situation. Improving Your Financial Position If you want money you need to learn how to control it. You need to improve your financial education and build your discipline. Organizing Your Finances - Thinking Outside the (Shoe) Box If you're like most people, your personal financial records are most probably kept in less than "Good Accounting Practices" standards. For example, stashing old ATM receipts and hanging on to a stub showing what you paid for a pack of mints two years ago (cash, of course), might be filed with your paycheck stubs, credit card statements - paid and unpaid alike - as well as a few tax forms, a stray paper clip and a penny. Do You Really Need the Power of Money Management Software? I have been a loyal user of Quicken(R) for more years than I can remember. But a conversation the other day with my youngest son started me wondering whether or not I really need money management software. How To Reap The Rewards With Rewards Programs Recently, many of these loyalty rewards programs have come to the realization that they must change how they put these programs together if they are going to increase their share of the market.One way that has changed over the years is how reward programs have started linking up with various partners to offer more types of rewards for it's members. 10 Money-Saving Tips 1. If you have your haircut every 3 weeks, try going 4 or 5 weeks in between haircuts. Vesting and Your 401(k) Do you have a 401(k) retirement account? Are you vested yet? Before you move on to your next job, it is critical for you to find out if you are fully vested in your retirement account before you make the move. If you are not, you could lose hundreds if not thousands of dollars in employer contributions. Financial Readiness: Preparing for BRAC (Base Realignment And Closing) The recommendations for military base closings have been released and the news is not good. If the recommendations are accepted, you will lose your job. |
| Good Credit Loans | home | site map | School Bus Clothing | Florida Pool Heating |
| © 2006 |