We know having access to funds is important to you. We are in the process of validating the check and collecting the funds. For this reason, it is important to know that Bank of America service representatives are not able to release deposited funds that are on hold.

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You can avoid a hold on your deposit by encouraging individuals and business entities paying you to use electronic payment solutions such as direct deposit, Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments, online transfers, wire transfers and peer-to-peer services such as Zelle®. These types of payments are typically available the same day they are received or scheduled to occur.

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When you deposit a check, some or all of the check amount may not be part of your available balance for a period of time. This is done for the purpose of validating the check and collecting the funds from the issuer of the check.

In some cases, your funds may not be available because your deposit was made after the cutoff time for that particular day. Please visit our Cutoff Times for Deposits, Transfers and Payments page for more information.

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The hold allows us (and the bank paying the funds) time to validate the check – which can help you avoid potential fees in the event a deposited check is returned unpaid. Keep in mind, though, that a check may still be returned unpaid after funds have been made available to you. Please refer to your Deposit Agreement and Disclosures for complete information.

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We inform you of a deposit hold in a variety of ways, depending on how the deposit is made:

• ATM deposit: We’ll tell you of any hold on both the ATM screen and your printed receipt.
• Financial center deposit: Your deposit receipt will include a notice of any hold.
• Mobile deposit: The deposit confirmation screen on your device will tell you of any hold.
• Email alert: If a hold was not originally placed when you deposited the check and we later determine one is necessary, an alert will be sent to the email address you’ve provided to us.
• Mail notification: If a hold notification wasn’t provided at the time the deposit was made (for example, a deposit you make by mail), a hold notice will be sent to the mailing address you’ve provide to us. If you’ve opted in to receive paperless documents, you can view the hold notice in your Online Banking account.
  
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Deposit holds typically range from 2-7 business days, depending on the reason for the hold. For deposits made on weekends, funds are considered deposited on Monday (the first business day), so the hold will go into effect the next business day (Tuesday).

In some cases, the length of the hold can change based on new information we may receive or discover. If this happens, you will be notified promptly through mail and/or email.

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You can visit our Better Money Habits® website and view a video on how banks process deposits. This will explain further how banks process deposits and why you, or the person you wrote a check to, may not be able to immediately access the money.

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Unfortunately, due to risk factors including the potential for fraud, we can’t accept third-party verification that a check has cleared the originating bank account in order to release a deposit hold.

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