When I would receive a check from a person with a Bank of America account, the Bank of America teller is charging an $8 fee for each check. They used to charge a $5 fee from business accounts only but now it's $8 for all accounts. If somebody pays me $20 for something and I go to the bank to get my money I only get $12. It's their own customer that they are servicing by cashing these checks.
Joshua
Colonial heights,#2Consumer Comment
Sat, October 21, 2017
not true if its a check that comes from that bank they can and do check to make sure there is enough fund's in that person's account I know this for sure I received a check took it to the bank of America and was told there was not enough fund's in that person's account and refused to cash the check so they don't take any risk and charging $8.00 for cashing a check is way too much they won't cash checks that's not from there bank unless you have an account
Jim
Anaheim,#3Consumer Comment
Mon, October 16, 2017
The fee you're talking about here is not new - it's been around for many years. The fee would be similar to any fee you would pay if you were to walk into a check cashing place to perform the same service; it's possible you would likely pay less at a check cashing place than a bank. Like a check cashing place, the bank is also assuming some risk in cashing a check for you - even it's the bank's account holder.
It's your belief (I think) that the bank is vouching for the customer in some fashion by presenting their check for cash, but that is not the case at all. The bank makes no guarantee their customer is upstanding in any possible way. Let's say you walk into the bank and the account is closed. The bank is not going to see any of that $$ ever again. If the account is open, but the account has insufficient funds, then the bank has to go back to your customer for funds after it hands you $$.
It is possible the bank still may never see those funds again. The fee they charge you as a non-customer is to mitigate a portion of either risk. Yes, it's a high fee relative to the amount you provided as an example. It's because the bank does not want to engage in the business of check cashing to the public. That's why there are check cashing stores out there. For cashing a $20 check, they may hit you with a 10% fee, so you end up with $18.
Now, if you're only talking about cashing a check for $20, perhaps the better arrangement would be to contact your customer prior to any work performed or payment made and insist upon cash for any service you render that's less than $50. Even if you were a customer of BofA, the time spent in the bank branch waiting in line to cash the check isn't worth your time. If the $20 listed in your original post is simply an example, then establishing a bank account near your residence would be more appropriate.
#4Author of original report
Fri, October 13, 2017
They are servicing their customers that are promising me a certain amount of money, but now they are taking out their cut. They have added another way to charge more money.
Striderq
Columbia,#5General Comment
Mon, September 25, 2017
they are servicing you by cashing the check when you don't have an account at that bank. Possible soilutions: explain this to the person giving you the check and see if they'll add $8 to the total; open an account at BOA to cash checks from there or deposit it into your account and no fees are charged. If you use solution #2, be advised you'll have to open an account at every bank that you get a check from as all banks charge this fee for non-account holders.