So our system verified the check entered and came back stating it was bad. Your customer claims he/she has the money. What do you do? First, let us explain what we are looking for:

 

Understand that we take many things into account when running a check verification. The very first thing our system looks at is the 9-digit Routing Number. Is it correct? If it is, we look to see if the account number is valid based on that financial institution. Then, with participating banks, we ask if the account is open and active. If the bank allows verification of funds, we ask if the funds are available. We also look to see if the account has a history of going negative, or has a history of bouncing checks. Some banks report this "negative data," and some do not. We also get "negative data" from certain retailers who report bounced checks by routing and account number. After all of this (and it's done electronically in seconds by super-computers) if everything looks good we give the Thumbs Up. However, if there is a hint the check will be returned we give the Thumbs Down.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can I Bypass the Warning and Still Process the Check?

 

Yes, you can. But we highly suggest you do not. We have been doing this for many, many years. In most cases, an override will lead to a bounced check. That can be costly in business. We suggest you ask for an alternate payment method or certified funds. Keep in mind even if funds are available at this very second nearly every person in the United States has a debit card linked to that very same account and may have also sent out bill pay checks or other checks drawn on it. Just because they have funds at this very second does not mean they will have it tomorrow.