Remote deposit

Remote deposit is the ability in the United States and Canada to deposit a check into a bank account from a remote location, such as an office or home, without having to physically deliver the check to the bank. This is typically accomplished by scanning a digital image of a check into a computer, then transmitting that image to the bank, a practice that became legal in the United States in 2004 when the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act (or Check 21 Act) took effect. This service is typically used by businesses, though a remote deposit application for consumers has been developed and has begun to be implemented by a handful of banks. It should not be confused with:

Remote deposits became legal in the United States in 2004 with the introduction of the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act (or Check 21 Act).

Intended in part to keep the country's financial industries operational in the event of a catastrophe that could make rapid long-distance transportation impossible, like the September 11, 2001, attacks, the Check 21 Act makes the digital image of a check legally acceptable for payment purposes, just like a traditional paper check.

Before 2004, if someone deposited a check from one bank (for example, PNC Bank) into an account at a different bank (for example, Bank of America), the banks would have to physically exchange the paper check before the money would be credited to the account. But under Check 21, one bank can simply send an image of the check to the other bank. This reduction of the transportation time from total processing life cycle of a check provides a longer time for the corporation to process the checks. Often, this additional processing time allows the corporation to deposit more items at an earlier cutoff time than they otherwise would. In addition, most banks offering Remote Deposit Capture have extended the cutoff times for deposit-8:00 pm, while the deadline for regular paper deposits is 4:00 pm. The practical effect of the law is that checks can still be deposited and cleared, even if a disaster makes it impossible for banks to exchange the physical paper checks with each other.

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