Watching people mix up their routing and account numbers on checks

I work at a small credit union in Spokane, and I see this at least twice a week. Folks come in with a check they need to deposit, and they've written their own account number in the routing number spot. It happens most with new members who are setting up direct deposit for the first time. The problem is, if that wrong number gets sent out, the whole payment gets rejected or sent to the wrong bank. It can delay a paycheck by three or four days while everything gets fixed. I always tell people to look at one of their own checks from us, because the routing number is always first on the bottom line. It's a simple thing, but it causes a lot of headaches. Has anyone else's branch had to put together a clearer handout for members on how to read a check?

2 comments

2 Comments

brookerobinson7d ago

Heard about a coworker who did this with her mortgage payment. She wrote the account number where the routing goes, and her bank charged her a late fee. Took her two phone calls to get it fixed.

the_ivan7d ago

My buddy had his whole paycheck bounce back last month because of this. He was setting up a new account and swapped the numbers on the direct deposit form. The money went to some random bank in another state. He had to call his job's payroll, then his new bank, and it took a full week to sort out. He was sweating bills the whole time. A clear picture with big arrows on the form would have saved him so much trouble.