How to Trace a Check to a Closed Checking Account
If someone provides you with a personal check as payment for a debt or some other reason, you can trace that check to a closed checking account after the fact. To find out if a checking account is valid, you will need the person that issued you the check to accompany you to his bank to get the status. He will also need proper identification. When he asks the teller if the check is good, you can stand there as a witness to confirm if the checking account is good or closed.
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Instructions
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Deposit the check you received from an individual into your checking account. Your bank will put the check on hold for a certain amount of time, which provides the check enough time to clear. The funds will not be available to you right away.
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Review the check. A check that is drawn on a closed checking account will not clear. The bank will return the check to you, and it will be stamped "Closed," which indicates the checking account is closed. You could be charged a fee for the check. The routing number, account number and the name of the bank will be on the front of the check, which helps for identification purposes. Each bank has its own distinct routing number located on the bottom left hand side of the check.
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Contact the person who gave you the check. Let them know that the check they provided you with was drawn on a checking account that was closed. Ask them to replace the check with cash, money order or a cashier's check. Let them know you incurred a fee because of the closed checking account.
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Tips & Warnings
If you are cashing a personal check at a check cashing store, the agents will be able to call the bank and find out if the checking account is closed. They are authorized agents with authority to receive this information from banks. When you find out a checking account is closed, you can go to certain websites and enter the bank routing number and receive the bank name, phone number and address (see Resources).
If you take the check to the bank of the person that issued the check and try to find out if the check is good, the bank will not be able to disclose any information. If the account is closed, the teller will be able to tell you that the check cannot be cashed and you must speak to the person that gave you the check; she is not allowed to tell you that the account is closed.
