[cinralph]

Can a Bank charge me a fee and send back the check to where the check was written from all in the same 24 hr period without letting you know that you don't have enough to funds cover the check. My bank doesn't even send me anything until a week later by that time everything is all messed up and not enough money to correct the problem.

Thanks Cindy

[tickle]

We are all supposed to keep accurate personal bank records so this situation doesn't occur. I have a Quicken programme that absolutely keeps me informed on my financial situation as long as I am diligent in recording my transactions as they happen. I pay my bills through on line banking.

Yes they can do that and that has always been the procedure as far as I know going back to a time when the only way you could keep records was bank reconciliation in a cheque book through statements received from your financial institution. I paid the same price as you a few times back then and just had to absorb it.

[ScottGem]

The short answer is yes. As tickle said, YOU are responsible for balancing your account and you should not be writing a check unless you know it will be covered.

If you are sloppy about this, ask your bank to give you overdraft protection. This is where if they receive a check and there isn't enough funds, they will give you a short term loan to cover. The cost of the interest is usually less than the fees and hassle of having the check bounce.

I also use online banking. One of the few checks I write is to pay my property taxes. Since this is a hefty check, I prefer to take advantage of the float and keep the funds in a higher interest paying account as long as I can. So I check my balance on line daily. When the check is presented, the money is taken from my overdraft to cover it. If I transfer the money the same day, the overdraft is negated.