Remote Deposit Capture

Which banks provide Remote Deposit Capture services that allow me to scan and deposit checks from my home or business?

We’ve received a number of inquiries asking us which banks allow Remote Deposit Capture (RDC) services from the “E-Deposit Banking from Home: The “E” Stands for Easy” article we posted in the “Updates” section of the ScanSnap Community site.   

First, let me provide just a little more background on Remote Deposit Capture.  Paperless deposits became possible with the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act — known as Check 21 — in 2004.  Remote Deposit Capture, in simple terms, is a service allowing users to scan checks and transmit the scanned images and /or Automated Clearing House (ACH) data to a bank for posting and clearing.

Many of the top banks in the United States have either just launched RDC services for businesses, or are on their way to doing so.   According to Wikipedia, “a February 2008 survey by group Independent Community Bankers of America found that 50 percent of banks in the United States were current users of remote deposit, and 77 percent have plans to adopt the technology by 2010.”  A number of financial institutions that currently allow remote deposit include National City Bank, Bank of America, BankAtlantic, California Bank & Trust, Capital Bank and The Palmetto Bank.  The banking industry does not keep an official tally of how many businesses use remote deposit nationwide, however, the number is generally believed to be in the tens of thousands.

RemoteDepositCapture.com, an independent resource for information and best practices for the RDC marketplace, also has a listing of banks  and solution providers offering these services.

I should note that these services are more geared toward businesses than consumers today, as the large banks have been slow to offer the service to consumers.  However, according to BankFox, a website that helps people compare bank products, there are a few smaller banks and credit unions that have launched or plan to announce services that will allow consumers to use their home computer to scan checks and upload them via their websites.  USAA, a bank serving military customers and their families, was the first banks to allow customers to deposit checks into their bank accounts using a scanner and an Internet connection with its USAA Deposit@Home service.  

A few other banks and credit unions offering consumers online check deposits as reported by BankFox include, First Command Bank (Deposits on Command), Summit Bank N.A. (Xpress Deposit), Texas Security Bank (Secure Xpress Deposit), Alliant Credit Union (eDepositPlus), Digital Federal Credit Union (PC Deposit), and Golden 1 Credit Union (Z@PiT Online Deposit).

Depending on how the service is applied within a particular environment, Remote Deposit Capture can have additional names such as “corporate capture”, “merchant capture”, “image deposits”, or “image cash letters”.   So ask your bank if they provide a service for companies and/or consumers that allows for checks to be transmitted and cleared electronically.

Mark Lewis
Director of Marketing
Fujitsu Computer Products of America