any bank tellers on here?
 

Please can you answer a question for me...

Why does it take so long to pay a freakin cheque into my account?

I swear back i the UK , many millenia ago when people still used them, you handed over the cheque and either your paying in slip or bank card, they ran them through a machine and boompf!, done.

Today ( and apart from a small oddity) this is the usual way it plays out, it took me 5 minutes at the actual teller to pay in a cheque.

I simply can't comprehend why it takes so many mouse clicks, moments of staring blanky at the screen, more mouse clicks, rubberstamping and scribbling of various codes just to put some money in my account.

Today was a little special in that the conversation went like this

How may I help you

me: I'd like to pay this into our chequing account ( I hand over the offending item plus my bank card)

<card is scanned , I enter my pin as requested>

she peers intently at both sides of the cheque, "this is a joint account"

me: yes

"the back of the cheque isn't signed"

me " ermm Ok" (I've given up trying to find the logic behind the fact that sometimes they appear to want me to sign these stupid bits of paper and can't offer a sensible reason why)
I pick up a pen and go to take the cheque back to sign it

The teller looks confused "this is a joint account"
again I agree that it is indeed a joint account, with my husband.

"Zoe Bell needs to sign the back of this"

I may have gotten a little testy at this point "She's standing right in front of you"

at this point the penny finally dropped that the person handing over the client card emblazoned with the name "ZOE BELL" , the person on the cheque made out to "ZOE BELL" and the person standing in front of her were the same person.

She apologized
but then it still took her another 3 minutes ( I was timing) to click her way through the presumably multiple screens required to out the money where it belonged.

So I ask in all seriousness , how can a simple task possibly take so long?
Why isn't it more automated?

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

Use an ATM. It's MUCH quicker.

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

you are probably right but i don't like the idea of posting my cheque into the proverbial black hole with no record that it was ever there.

Still doesn't answer my question , and I'm genuinely interested, as to WHAT they are actually doing on that computer that takes so long.

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

I pay in cheques all the time. Frequently, they are refused (cheques given to me by clients). I used to ask why they are being refused, but they have never informed me so now I don't bother. I assume that there is a way that the banks are able to cheque the account against which the cheque is drawn and that, when it is refused, it is because there are insufficient funds. I don't know if this is the case and, hopefully, someone in the know will be along soon.

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

TBH I doubt that's the case
Banks don't seem to be linked here so I wouldn't think that RBC could check a BMO cheque on their system like that. I am truly baffled by the whole palaver

Thanks for the suggestion though ;)

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

When one deposits a cheque it is not considered presented for payment until presented to paying bank. That bank/branch would decide the following day to pay or not pay the item. If not, it would be returned to presenting bank/branch for any of a number of reasons. I very much doubt that any bank can check account balances at another bank. It is certainly not the case in Canada. Banks can check balances between its own branches obviously but it should not be done on the premise that the cheque writer may well have made a deposit not yet processed or could well do so later in day but before presented for payment.
Unless you have a poor record with your bank, there is no reason why your deposit should not be accepted without question.

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

maybe they are just playing Tetris then?

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

The ATM will provide you a receipt for your deposit. If the deposit is not recorded go into bank and raise Cain. You'll never know what the clerk was doing on/with the computer so why be knotted about it. She may be new to the job and being ultra careful not to make a mistake or she may have been playing, as you suggest, Tetris.

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

despite my mini rant :) I am genuinely curious as to the obvious differences in bank procedures.

If it was just that one time then you may have a point but in the UK , card plus cheque ran through machine, job done

Canada, card scanned, PIN entered , 3 minutes of furious tapping on computer screens.

I find most things over here to be fairly hassle free , I'm just curious as to why the system is that much more inefficient.

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

When I go into my bank (well credit union) it takes maybe 20 seconds to pay in a cheque. They all know me. Sometimes they don't even bother asking me for my card as they can presumably just look me up as fast on their screen themselves.

Maybe you need to switch over ;)

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

Maybe it's like ordering a pizza at Dominos here.

There was less key-tapping to send a man to the moon.

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

fair point in that I've only ever dealt with RBC, albeit with numerous branches (doesn't seem to be a significant difference branchwise) so I guess it could be a bank thing.

I suspect that changing all my accounts just because it takes a a few minutes to pay in a cheque could be considered to be overkill !

Of course if work could pull themselves out of the dark ages and actually pay my expenses into my bank account along with my salary rather than cutting a stupid cheque the point would be moot.

Or I need a promotion so that I can join the hallowed few who are blessed with a corporate credit card

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

I paid a cheque for $5000 into my account over the counter at a Scotiabank branch the other day and the teller had to go off and get a more senior teller to approve the deposit at such a 'massive' cheque was over her authority limit...

Despite this being less than my cleared balance anyway, maybe they thought I was going to run to the ATM and draw out the huge $200 pre-clearance that would have resulted, before absconding.....

I appreciate that they have a stupid cheque system in Canada, such that any Tom, Dick or Harry can probably obtain a printed cheque book in your name by ordering it over the internet from a cheque printing company and giving them your account details, but all the same, this was cause for raised eyebrows.

On this subject, WHY on earth can you order cheques from anywhere other than your own bank? Seems crazy.

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

at work we order our commercial chqs from an external supplier and the fees are charged to the corporate bank account, it takes less than a week to get them by mail and it works well

however we could go via the bank but all that would happen is the bank would order from the same source and it would cost us more

this way we cut out the middleman

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

tellers are a dying breed and are going the way of the dodo

they are usually young females who, in time, are expected to graduate to a 'financial advisor' position to push bank products and contribute to the bottom line

as tellers they are merely overhead and that is why there is an abundance of ATM's and the bank is only too happy when you use this facility

ATM's are, in truth, NOT designed for customer convenience as they can in many cases do the same job more efficiently, they rarely make mistakes, they always show up for work and on time, do not have to be trained to be cheerful and polite, never go on strike, plus do not need time off to make babies

isn't technology great? ;)

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

The accounts have been running for over 4 years. I have never issued a cheque that has been rejected.

I also have had cheques accepted for deposit (from clients) that a day later have been rejected. So I understand what you are saying.

However, I have also had cheques refused at the deposit stage (by the teller) drawn against other banks. I used to think that the client had a black mark against their account but, on every occasion (this has happened to more than one client) they have written me another cheque drawn against the same account that has been accepted.

I have no idea what caused the initial rejections.

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

I was of the impression it was down to the teller to use their discretion.

They can choose to "pay" the cheque instantly or they can choose to "hold" it for a few days.

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

Tellers do not have unlimited discretion.

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

You normally have to arrange this with your banks' customer advisor when you set up the account, but once arranged, cheques under a certain value are treated as 'cleared funds' upon deposit.

:)

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

On the limit thing. Tellers all have a limit they are allowed to make a decision on. A newbies is normally $1500, the $3000, the $5000. A teller is never usually allowed above $5000 without a manager signing off on it due to risk. But id you regularly get large ones some tellers will ignore this and get it signed later but again it depends how long the teller has worked there and if they know you.

On it taking so long I can only speak for TD from when I used to work there. but when they go into your account and select deposit check, the system forces them to go through the employer, history etc to see if the check is regular or not. Then they make the decision based on that. (you can just hit ok,ok,ok without looking at it if you know it will be fine)

So in general if you get someone who has been there for ages they will be less concerned about the risk and will do it quicker, if you get someone newer they will still be double checking every single thing and take forever!

If any of that helps lol. Next time you are in ask what your atm approval is, it will tell you what size check you can put in the atm without it being held.

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

I appreciate you taking the time to reply , but no it doesn't !! ;)
I know about cheque limits and stuff. Our limit is quite high for various reasons. This isn't about when the money is available to me , It's about how long it takes the person in front of me to actually go through the motions of entering it into their system.

UK - cheque plus card ran through machine transaction over
Canada - card swiped , PIN entered, multiple clicks through what I presume to be multiple fields/screens, stamps , initialing and all kinds of gumpf taking up to 3 minutes

Its not an isolated event. The system is obviously very different and I'm not just ranting here I'm genuinely curious as to what they are seeing on their screen and what they have to do in order to pay it into my account

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

I think she answered that in the post - see bold.

:)

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

in the uk. if i was depositing a check on the system (i was a teller there aswell) all i had to do was type in the amount and hit enter it was done.

here it doesn't let you do that. you type in the amount, then it brings up names on account, where you work, if you have an agreement to allow high limit checks go through with no holds, when your last deposits where, then roughly 3 months account history. then you have to reinput the amount, which account etc etc. all before you can hit deposit. Each one of them things would be on a different screen which is the typing and why it takes ages.

I dunno why the systems are actually different but in the UK the little teller had no part in the decision so they didn't have to look at anything that was all back room. Here all the risk comes back on the teller. It comes directly back on the teller for disciplinary if checks bounce, are fraudulent etc.

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

I like the ATM's banks in the US are using now, no envelopes needed. Put in a check, it scans it, shows you a photo on the screen to confirm the amount, and they are especially nice because they take cash, count it, and credit it to your account instantly.

But I haven't seen any in Canada, but banks here seem to be using ATM's that went out of style in the late 90's....lol

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

This comes back to the point I was making above. How can the teller tell if the cheque will bounce?

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

my apologies . I skim read

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

Sometimes the checks are obviously fraudulent and the more you see it gets easy to recognize. But the teller is meant to be checking if the check is one you get regularly, if its a pay check or a gift etc, if the amount is different or not. If the check doesn't match your account history and the teller puts it in without a hold and it comes back they can get disciplined, even if it doesnt come back they can get asked to explain why they bent the rules for you. Generally if the teller has covered their ass and the check comes back they are grand but if the teller bent the rules a bit for someone they know who got say a check from grandma for their birthday or a wedding present and they come back, thats all on the teller.

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

Educated guesses probably.

I'd guess they'd view a cheque issued by the CRA as a bit more likely to be paid than from Joe Bloggs.

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

I was talking about cheques deposited to a business account (a law firm). Why would a teller refuse to even deposit the cheque, with our without putting a hold on it?

I have been told on numerous occasions that they cannot accept a cheque (but can't tell me why they can't) and when I informed the clients what had happened, they gave me a replacement cheque, drawn on the same account as previously.

This is on accounts I hold with TD too;)

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

If the checks are also drawn on TD accounts I would bet there is an alert on the other account that they are not to accept checks on it. Business accounts have the same rules for check deposits but they will usually accept it and just hold it unless there is an alert on it. If you give them a client check and its from a td account they will look at the account its drawn on and see if there is anything to cover it. But all tellers I know ill be honest and just say this is not negotiable right now and to try again.

If they are from other banks, then I dunno why they are refusing it, they should be taking it and just holding it.

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

We are with ING and don't even have to leave home to deposit a cheque any more. Take a picture, upload and it is done. Even simpler than an ATM.

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

Thanks

Re: any bank tellers on here?
 

Hi Zoe I know this is an older thread but when I used to work for BMO I also stood in on the front counter when they needed it, so here goes.

Person comes to counter says "i'd like to deposit this cheque into my account.

You take their card number (bearing in mind this was 6 years :eek: ago) - tap it in, and a list of their holdings comes up. Accounts / investments etc etc - also if there are any alerts on the account these will flash up.

Generally the teller should say "which account would you like this deposited into?"

You tell her, she taps in the details, takes the cheque - gives you the receipt and bobs your uncle.

Depending on the size of the cheque and whether it's your usual branch or not may result in some other questions but aside from that it should be pretty straightforward.