Terms And Conditions
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT PROCEDURES FOR OPENING A NEW ACCOUNT - To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person who opens an account.
What this means for you: When you open an account, we will ask for your name, address, date of birth, and other information that will allow us to identify you. We may also ask to see your driver's license or other identifying documents.
AGREEMENT - This document, along with any other documents we give you pertaining to your account(s), is a contract that establishes rules which control your account(s) with us. Please read this carefully and retain it for future reference. If you sign the signature card or open or continue to use the account, you agree to these rules. You will receive a separate schedule of rates, qualifying balances, and fees if they are not included in this document. If you have any questions, please call us.
This agreement is subject to applicable federal laws, the laws of the state of New Hampshire and other applicable rules such as the operating letters of the Federal Reserve Banks and payment processing system rules (except to the extent that this agreement can and does vary such rules or laws). The body of state and federal law that governs our relationship with you, however, is too large and complex to be reproduced here. The purpose of this document is to:
- summarize some laws that apply to common transactions;
- establish rules to cover transactions or events which the law does not regulate;
- establish rules for certain transactions or events which the law regulates but permits variation by agreement; and
- give you disclosures of some of our policies to which you may be entitled or in which you may be interested
If any provision of this document is found to be unenforceable according to its terms, all remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect. We may permit some variations from our standard agreement, but we must agree to any variation in writing either on the signature card for your account or in some other document. Nothing in this document is intended to vary our duty to act in good faith and with ordinary care when required by law.
As used in this document the words "we," "our," and "us" mean the financial institution and the words "you" and "your" mean the account holder(s) and anyone else with the authority to deposit, withdraw, or exercise control over the funds in the account. However, this agreement does not intend, and the terms "you" and "your" should not be interpreted, to expand an individual's responsibility for an organization's liability. If this account is owned by a corporation, partnership or other organization, individual liability is determined by the laws generally applicable to that type of organization. The headings in this document are for convenience or reference only and will not govern the interpretation of the provisions. Unless it would be inconsistent to do so, words and phrases used in this document should be construed so the singular includes the plural and the plural includes the singular.
BYLAWS - Our bylaws, which we may amend from time to time, establish basic rules about our credit union policies and operations which affect your account and membership. You may obtain a copy of the bylaws on request. Our right to require you to give us notice of your intention to withdraw funds from your account is described in the bylaws. Unless we have agreed otherwise, you are not entitled to receive any original item after it is paid, although you may request that we send you an item(s) or a copy of an item(s). Dividends are based on current earnings and available earnings of the credit union, after providing for required reserves.
LIABILITY - You agree, for yourself (and the person or entity you represent if you sign as a representative of another) to the terms of this account and the schedule of charges. You authorize us to deduct these charges, without notice to you, directly from the account balance as accrued. You will pay any additional reasonable charges for services you request which are not covered by this agreement.
Each of you also agrees to be jointly and severally (individually) liable for any account shortage resulting from charges or overdrafts, whether caused by you or another with access to this account. This liability is due immediately, and we can deduct any amounts deposited into the account and apply those amounts to the shortage. You have no right to defer payment of this liability, and you are liable regardless of whether you signed the item or benefited from the charge or overdraft.
You will be liable for our costs as well as for our reasonable attorneys' fees, to the extent permitted by law, whether incurred as a result of collection or in any other dispute involving your account. This includes, but is not limited to, disputes between you and another joint owner; you and an authorized signer or similar party; or a third party claiming an interest in your account. This also includes any action that you or a third party takes regarding the account that causes us, in good faith, to seek the advice of an attorney, whether or not we become involved in the dispute. All costs and attorneys' fees can be deducted from your account when they are incurred, without notice to you.
DEPOSITS - We will give only provisional credit until collection is final for any items, other than cash, we accept for deposit (including items drawn "on us"). Before settlement of any item becomes final, we act only as your agent, regardless of the form of indorsement or lack of indorsement on the item and even though we provide you provisional credit for the item. We may reverse any provisional credit for items that are lost, stolen, or returned. Unless prohibited by law, we also reserve the right to charge back to your account the the amount of any item deposited to your account or cashed for you which was initially paid by the payor bank and which is later returned to us due to an allegedly forged, unauthorized or missing indorsement, claim of alteration, encoding error, counterfeit cashier's check or other problem which in our judgment justifies reversal of credit. You authorize us to attempt to collect previously returned items without giving you notice, and in attempting to collect we may permit the payor bank to hold an item beyond the midnight deadline. Actual credit for deposits of, or payable in, foreign currency will be at the exchange rate in effect on final collection in U.S. dollars. We are not responsible for transactions by mail or outside depository until we actually record them. We will treat and record all transactions received after our "daily cutoff time" on a business day we are open, or received on a day we are not open for business, as if initiated on the next business day that we are open. At our option, we may take an item for collection rather than for deposit. If we accept a third-party check or draft for deposit for deposit, we may require any third-party indorsers to verify or guarantee their indorsements, or indorse in our presence.
WITHDRAWALS -
Generally - Unless clearly indicated otherwise on the account records, any of you, acting alone, who signs to open the account or has authority to make withdrawals may withdraw or transfer all or any part of the account balance at any time. Each of you (until we receive written notice to the contrary) authorizes each other person who signs or has authority to make withdrawals to indorse any item payable to you or your order for deposit to this account or any other transaction with us.
Postdated checks - A postdated check is one which bears a date later than the date on which the check is written. We may properly pay and charge your account for a postdated check even though payment was made before the date of the check, unless we have received written notice of the postdating in time to have a reasonable opportunity to act. Because we process checks mechanically, your notice will not be effective and we will not be liable for failing to honor your notice unless it precisely identifies the number, date, amount and payee of the item.
Checks and withdrawal rules - If you do not purchase your check blanks from us, you must be certain that we approve the check blanks you purchase. We may refuse any withdrawal or transfer request which you attempt on forms not approved by us or by any method we do not specifically permit. We may refuse any withdrawal or transfer request which is greater in number than the frequency permitted, or which is for an amount greater or less than any withdrawal limitations. We will use the date the transaction is completed by us (as opposed to the date you initiate it) to apply the frequency limitations. In addition, we may place limitations on the account until your identity is verified. Even if we honor a nonconforming request, we are not required to do so later. If you violate the stated transaction limitations (if any), in our discretion we may close your account or reclassify it as a transaction account. If we reclassify your account, your account will be subject to the fees and earnings rules of the new account classification.
If we are presented with an item drawn against your account that would be a "substitute check," as defined by law, but for an error or defect in the item introduced in the substitute check creation process, you agree that we may pay such item.
Cash withdrawals - We recommend you take care when making large cash withdrawals because carrying large amounts of cash may pose a danger to your personal safety. As an alternative to making a large cash withdrawal, you may want to consider a cashier's check or similar instrument. You assume full responsibility of any loss in the event the cash you withdraw is lost, stolen, or destroyed. You agree to hold us harmless from any loss you incur as a result of your decision to withdraw funds in the form of cash.
Multiple signatures, electronic check conversion, and similar transactions - An electronic check conversion transaction is a transaction where a check or similar item is converted into an electronic fund transfer as defined in the Electronic Fund Transfers regulation. In these types of transactions the check or similar item is either removed from circulation (truncated) or given back to you. As a result, we have no opportunity to review the signatures or otherwise examine the original check or item. You agree that, as to these or any items as to which we have no opportunity to examine the signatures, you waive any requirement of multiple signatures.
UNDERSTANDING AND AVOIDING OVERDRAFT AND NONSUFFICIENT FUNDS (NSF) FEES -
Generally - The information in this section is being provided to help you understand what happens if your account is overdrawn. Understanding the concepts of overdrafts and nonsufficient funds (NSF) is important and can help you avoid being assessed fees or charges. This section also provides contractual terms relating to overdrafts and NSF transactions.
An overdrawn account will typically result in you being charged an overdraft fee or an NSF fee. Generally, an overdraft occurs when there is not enough money in your account to pay for a transaction, but we pay (or cover) the transaction anyway. An NSF transaction is slightly different. In an NSF transaction, we do not cover the transaction. Instead, the transaction is rejected and the item or requested payment is returned. In either situation, we can charge you a fee.
Determining your available balance - We use the “available balance” method to determine whether your account is overdrawn, that is, whether there is enough money in your account to pay for a transaction. Importantly, your “available” balance may not be the same as your account’s “actual” balance. This means an overdraft or an NSF transaction could occur regardless of your account’s actual balance.
Your account’s actual balance (sometimes called the ledger balance) only includes transactions that have settled up to that point in time, that is, transactions (deposits and payments) that have posted to your account. The actual balance does not include outstanding transactions (such as checks that have not yet cleared and electronic transactions that have been authorized but which are still pending). The balance on your periodic statement is the ledger balance for your account as of the statement date.
As the name implies, your available balance is calculated based on the money “available” in your account to make payments. In other words, the available balance takes transactions that have been authorized, but not yet settled, and subtracts them from the actual balance. In addition, when calculating your available balance, any “holds” placed on deposits that have not yet cleared are also subtracted from the actual balance. For more information on how holds placed on funds in your account can impact your available balance, read the subsection titled “A temporary debit authorization hold affects your account balance.”
Overdrafts - You understand that we may, at our discretion, honor withdrawal requests that overdraw your account. However, the fact that we may honor withdrawal requests that overdraw the account balance does not obligate us to do so later. So you can NOT rely on us to pay overdrafts on your account regardless of how frequently or under what circumstances we have paid overdrafts on your account in the past. We can change our practice of paying, or not paying, discretionary overdrafts on your account without notice to you. You can ask us if we have other account services that might be available to you where we commit to paying overdrafts under certain circumstances, such as an overdraft protection line-of-credit or a plan to sweep funds from another account you have with us. You agree that we may charge fees for overdrafts. For consumer accounts, we will not charge fees for overdrafts caused by ATM withdrawals or one-time debit card transactions if you have not opted-in to that service. We may use subsequent deposits, including direct deposits of social security or other government benefits, to cover such overdrafts and overdraft fees.
Nonsufficient funds (NSF) fees - If an item drafted by you (such as a check) or a transaction you set up (such as a preauthorized transfer) is presented for payment in an amount that is more than the amount of money available in your account, and we decide not to pay the item or transaction, you agree that we can charge you an NSF fee for returning the payment. Be aware that such an item or payment may be presented multiple times and that we do not monitor or control the number of times a transaction is presented for payment. You agree that we may charge you an NSF fee each time a payment is presented if the amount of money available in your account is not sufficient to cover the payment, regardless of the number of times the payment is presented.
Payment types - Some, but not necessarily all, of the ways you can access the funds in your account include debit card transactions, automated clearing house (ACH) transactions, and check transactions. All these payment types can use different processing systems and some may take more or less time to post. This information is important for a number of reasons. For example, keeping track of the checks you write and the timing of the preauthorized payments you set up will help you to know what other transactions might still post against your account. For information about how and when we process these different payment types, see the “Payment order of items” subsection below.
Balance information - Keeping track of your balance is important. You can review your balance in a number of ways including reviewing your periodic statement, reviewing your balance online, accessing your account information by phone, or coming into one of our branches.
Funds availability - Knowing when funds you deposit into your checking account will be made available for withdrawal is another important concept that can help you avoid being assessed fees or charges. Please see our funds availability disclosure for information on when different types of deposits will be made available for withdrawal. For those accounts to which our funds availability policy disclosure does not apply, you can ask us when you make a deposit when those funds will be available for withdrawal. An item may be returned after the funds from the deposit of that item are made available for withdrawal. In that case, we will reverse the credit of the item. We may determine the amount of available funds in your account for the purpose of deciding whether to return an item for insufficient funds at any time between the times we receive the item and when we return the item or send a notice in lieu of return. We need only make one determination, but if we choose to make a subsequent determination, the account balance at the subsequent time will determine whether there are insufficient available funds.
A temporary debit authorization hold affects your account balance - On debit card purchases, merchants may request a temporary hold on your account for a specified sum of money when the merchant does not know the exact amount of the purchase at the time the card is authorized. The amount of the temporary hold may be more than the actual amount of your purchase. Some common transactions where this occurs involve purchases of gasoline, hotel rooms, or meals at restaurants. When this happens, our processing system cannot determine that the amount of the hold exceeds the actual amount of your purchase. This temporary hold, and the amount charged to your account, will eventually be adjusted to the actual amount of your purchase, but it could be three calendar days, or even longer in some cases, before the adjustment is made. Until the adjustment is made, the amount of funds in your account available for other transactions will be reduced by the amount of the temporary hold. If another transaction is presented for payment in an amount greater than the funds left after the deduction of the temporary hold, amount, you will be charged an NSF or overdraft fee according to our NSF or overdraft fee policy. You will be charged the fee even if you would have had sufficient funds in your account if the amount of the hold had been equal to the amount of your purchase.
Payment order of items - The law permits us to pay items (such as checks or drafts) drawn on your account in any order. To assist you in handling your account with us, we are providing you with the following information regarding how we process the items that you write. When processing items drawn on your account, our policy is to pay them in the order that they are received from lowest dollar amount to highest. The order in which items are paid is important if there is not enough money in your account to pay all of the items that are presented. There is no policy that is favorable in every instance. If the smallest items are paid first, you may have fewer NSF or overdraft fees, but the largest, and perhaps more important items (such as rent or mortgage payments) might not be paid. If an item is presented without sufficient funds in your account to pay it, we may, at our discretion, pay the item (creating an overdraft) or return the item (NSF). The amounts of the overdraft and NSF fees are disclosed elsewhere. By paying items in the order that we receive them, we think our policy attains a reasonable balance between minimizing additional cost to you and paying your more important items. We encourage you to make careful records and practice good account management. This will help you to avoid writing checks or drafts without sufficient funds and incurring the resulting fees.
OWNERSHIP OF ACCOUNT AND BENEFICIARY DESIGNATION - These rules apply to this account depending on the form of ownership and beneficiary designation, if any, specified on the account records. We reserve the right to refuse some forms of ownership on any or all of our accounts. We make no representations as to the appropriateness or effect of the ownership and beneficiary designations, except as they determine to whom we pay the account funds.
Individual Account - is an account in the name of one person.
Joint Account - With Survivorship (And Not As Tenants In Common) - is an account in the name of two or more persons. Each of you intend that when you die the balance in the account (subject to any previous pledge to which we have agreed) will belong to the survivor(s). If two or more of you survive, you will own the balance in the account as joint tenants with survivorship and not as tenants in common.
Pay-on-Death Account - If two or more of you create such an account, you own the account jointly with survivorship. Beneficiaries cannot withdraw unless: (1) all persons creating the account die, and (2) the beneficiary is then living. If two or more beneficiaries are named and survive the death of all persons creating the account, such beneficiaries will own this account in equal shares, without right of survivorship. The person(s) creating this account type reserve the right to: (1) change beneficiaries, (2) change account types, and (3) withdraw all or part of the account funds at any time.
BUSINESS, ORGANIZATION AND ASSOCIATION ACCOUNTS - Earnings in the form of interest, dividends, or credits will be paid only on collected funds, unless otherwise provided by law or our policy. You represent that you have the authority to open and conduct business on this account on behalf of the entity. We may require the governing body of the entity opening the account to give us a separate authorization telling us who is authorized to act on its behalf. We will honor the authorization until we actually receive written notice of a change from the governing body of the entity.
STOP PAYMENTS - Unless otherwise provided, the rules in this section cover stopping payment of items such as checks and drafts. Rules for stopping payment of other types of transfers of funds, such as consumer electronic fund transfers, may be established by law or our policy. If we have not disclosed these rules to you elsewhere, you may ask us about those rules.
We may accept an order to stop payment on any item from any one of you. You must make any stop-payment order in the manner required by law and we must receive it in time to give us a reasonable opportunity to act on it before our stop-payment cutoff time. Because stop-payment orders are handled by computers, to be effective, your stop-payment order must precisely identify the number, date, and amount of the item, and the payee. You may stop payment on any item drawn on your account whether you sign the item or not. Generally, if your stop-payment order is given to us in writing it is effective for six months. Your order will lapse after that time if you do not renew the order in writing before the end of the six-month period. If the original stop-payment order was oral your stop-payment order will lapse after 14 calendar days if you do not confirm your order in writing within that time period. We are not obligated to notify you when a stop-payment order expires.
If you stop payment on an item and we incur any damages or expenses because of the stop payment, you agree to indemnify us for those damages or expenses, including attorneys' fees. You assign to us all rights against the payee or any other holder of the item. You agree to cooperate with us in any legal actions that we may take against such persons. You should be aware that anyone holding the item may be entitled to enforce payment against you despite the stop-payment order.
Our stop-payment cutoff time is one hour after the opening of the next banking day after the banking day on which we receive the item. Additional limitations on our obligation to stop payment are provided by law (e.g., we paid the item in cash or we certified the item).
TELEPHONE TRANSFERS - A telephone transfer of funds from this account to another account with us, if otherwise arranged for or permitted, may be made by the same persons and under the same conditions generally applicable to withdrawals made in writing. Limitations on the number of telephonic transfers from a savings account are described elsewhere.
AMENDMENTS AND TERMINATION - We may change our bylaws and any term of this agreement. Rules governing changes in rates are provided separately in the Truth-in-Savings disclosure or in another document. For other changes we will give you reasonable notice in writing or by any other method permitted by law. We may close this account if your membership in the credit union terminates, or by giving reasonable notice to you and tender of the account balance personally or by mail. Items presented for payment after the account is closed may be dishonored. When you close your account, you are responsible for leaving enough money in the account to cover any outstanding items and charges to be paid from the account. Only a joint tenant that is a member can close an account. Reasonable notice depends on the circumstances, and in some cases such as when we cannot verify your identity or we suspect fraud, it might be reasonable for us to give you notice after the change or account closure becomes effective. For instance, if we suspect fraudulent activity with respect to your account, we might immediately freeze or close your account and then give you notice. At our option, we may suspend your rights to member services if you violate the terms of this agreement. If we have notified you of a change in any term of your account and you continue to have your account after the effective date of the change, you have agreed to the new term(s).
NOTICES - Any written notice you give us is effective when we actually receive it, and it must be given to us according to the specific delivery instructions provided elsewhere, if any. We must receive it in time to have a reasonable opportunity to act on it. If the notice is regarding a check or other item, you must give us sufficient information to be able to identify the check or item, including the precise check or item number, amount, date and payee. Written notice we give you is effective when it is deposited in the United States Mail with proper postage and addressed to your mailing address we have on file. Notice to any of you is notice to all of you.
STATEMENTS - Your duty to report unauthorized signatures, alterations and forgeries - You must examine your statement of account with "reasonable promptness." If you discover (or reasonably should have discovered) any unauthorized signatures or alterations, you must promptly notify us of the relevant facts. As between you and us, if you fail to do either of these duties, you will have to either share the loss with us, or bear the loss entirely yourself (depending on whether we used ordinary care and, if not, whether we substantially contributed to the loss). The loss could be not only with respect to items on the statement but other items with unauthorized signatures or alterations by the same wrongdoer.
You agree that the time you have to examine your statement and report to us will depend on the circumstances, but will not, in any circumstance, exceed a total of 30 days from when the statement is first sent or made available to you.
You further agree that if you fail to report any unauthorized signatures, alterations or forgeries in your account within 60 days of when we first send or make the statement available, you cannot assert a claim against us on any items in that statement, and as between you and us the loss will be entirely yours. This 60-day limitation is without regard to whether we used ordinary care. The limitation in this paragraph is in addition to that contained in the first paragraph of this section.
Your duty to report other errors or problems - In addition to your duty to review your statements for unauthorized signatures, alterations and forgeries, you agree to examine your statement with reasonable promptness for any other error or problem- such as an encoding error or an unexpected deposit amount. Also, if you receive or we make available either your items or images of your items, you must examine them for any unauthorized or missing indorsements or any other problems. You agree that the time you have to examine your statement and items and report to us will depend on the circumstances. However, this time period shall not exceed 60 days. Failure to examine your statement and items and report any errors to us within 60 days of when we first send or make the statement available precludes you from asserting a claim against us for any errors on items identified in that statement and as between you and us the loss will be entirely yours.
Errors relating to electronic funds transfers substitute checks - For information on errors relating to electronic fund transfers (e.g., on-line, mobile, debit card or ATM transactions) refer to your Electronic Fund Transfers disclosure and the sections on consumer liability and error resolution. For information on errors relating to a substitute check you received, refer to your disclosure entitled Substitute Checks and Your Rights.
Duty to notify if statement not received - You agree to immediately notify us if you do not receive your statement by the date you normally expect to receive it. Not receiving your statement in a timely manner is a sign that there may be an issue with your account, such as possible fraud or identity theft.
ACCOUNT TRANSFER - This account may not be transferred or assigned without our prior written consent.
DIRECT DEPOSITS - If we are required for any reason to reimburse the federal government for all or any portion of a benefit payment that was directly deposited into your account, you authorize us to deduct the amount of our liability to the federal government from the account or from any other account you have with us, without prior notice and at any time, except as prohibited by law. We may also use any other legal remedy to recover the amount of our liability.
CREDIT VERIFICATION - In applying for membership you authorize us to gather whatever credit, checking account, and employment information we consider appropriate from time to time. You understand this will assist, for example, in determining your initial and ongoing eligibility for an account. You authorize us to give information concerning our experience with you to others for the purposes of administering or enhancing the products and services offered by or through us, or as required by law.
TEMPORARY ACCOUNT AGREEMENT - If the account documentation indicates that this is a temporary account agreement, each person who signs to open the account or has authority to make withdrawals (except as indicated to the contrary) may transact business on this account. However, we may at some time in the future restrict or prohibit further use of this account if you fail to comply with the requirements we have imposed within a reasonable time.
RIGHT TO REPAYMENT OF INDEBTEDNESS - You each agree that we may (without prior notice and when permitted by law) charge against and deduct from this account any due and payable debt any of you owe us now or in the future. If this account is owned by one or more of you as individuals, we may set off any funds in the account against a due and payable debt a partnership owes us now or in the future, to the extent of your liability as a partner for the partnership debt. If your debt arises from a promissory note, then the amount of the due and payable debt will be the full amount we have demanded, as entitled under the terms of the note, and this amount may include any portion of the balance for which we have properly accelerated the due date.
In addition to these contract rights, we may also have rights under a "statutory lien." A "lien" on property is a creditor's right to obtain ownership of the property in the event a debtor defaults on a debt. A "statutory lien” is one created by federal or state statute. If federal or state law provides us with a statutory lien, then we are authorized to apply, without prior notice, your shares and dividends to any debt you owe us, in accord with the statutory lien. Neither our contract rights nor rights under a statutory lien apply to this account if prohibited by law. For example, neither our contract rights nor rights under a statutory lien apply to this account if: (a) it is an Individual Retirement Account or similar tax-deferred account, or (b) the debt is created by a consumer credit transaction under a credit card plan (but this does not affect our rights under any consensual security interest), or (c) the debtor's right of withdrawal arises only in a representative capacity. We will not be liable for the dishonor of any check or draft when the dishonor occurs because we charge and deduct an amount you owe us from your account. You agree to hold us harmless from any claim arising as a result of our exercise of our right to repayment.
AUTHORIZED SIGNER (Individual Accounts only) - A single individual is the owner. The authorized signer is merely designated to conduct transactions on the owner's behalf. The owner does not give up any rights to act on the account, and the authorized signer may not in any manner affect the rights of the owner or beneficiaries, if any, other than by withdrawing funds from the account. The owner is responsible for any transactions of the authorized signer. We undertake no obligation to monitor transactions to determine that they are on the owner’s behalf.
The owner may terminate the authorization at any time, and the authorization is automatically terminated by the death of the owner. However, we may continue to honor the transactions of the authorized signer until: (a) we have received written notice or have actual knowledge of the termination of authority, and (b) we have a reasonable opportunity to act on that notice or knowledge. We may refuse to accept the designation of an authorized signer.
RESTRICTIVE LEGENDS OR INDORSEMENTS - The automated processing of the large volume of checks we receive prevents us from inspecting or looking for restrictive legends, restrictive indorsements or other special instructions on every check. For this reason, we are not required to honor any restrictive legend or indorsement or other special instruction placed on checks you write unless we have agreed in writing to the restriction or instruction. Unless we have agreed in writing, we are not responsible for any losses, claims, damages, or expenses that result from your placement of these restrictions or instructions on your checks. Examples of restrictive legends placed on checks are "must be presented within 90 days" or "not valid for more than $1,000.00." The payee's signature accompanied by the words "for deposit only" is an example of a restrictive indorsement.
PLEDGES - Each owner of this account may pledge all or any part of the funds in it for any purpose to which we agree. Any pledge of this account must first be satisfied before the rights of any surviving account owner or account beneficiary become effective.
CHECK PROCESSING - We process items mechanically by relying solely on the information encoded in magnetic ink along the bottom of the items. This means that we do not individually examine all of your items to determine if the item is properly completed, signed and indorsed or to determine if it contains any information other than what is encoded in magnetic ink. You agree that we have exercised ordinary care if our automated processing is consistent with general banking practice, even though we do not inspect each item. Because we do not inspect each item, if you write a check to multiple payees, we can properly pay the check regardless of the number of indorsements unless you notify us in writing that the check requires multiple indorsements. We must receive the notice in time for us to have a reasonable opportunity to act on it, and you must tell us the precise date of the check, amount, check number and payee. We are not responsible for any unauthorized signature or alteration that would not be identified by a reasonable inspection of the item. Using an automated process helps us keep costs down for you and all account holders.
CHECK CASHING - We may charge a fee for anyone that does not have an account with us who is cashing a check, draft or other instrument written on your account. We may also require reasonable identification to cash such a check, draft or other instrument. We can decide what identification is reasonable under the circumstances and such identification may be documentary or physical and may include collecting a thumbprint or fingerprint.
INDORSEMENTS - We may accept for deposit any item payable to you or your order, even if they are not indorsed by you. We may give cash back to any one of you. We may supply any missing indorsement(s) for any item we accept for deposit or collection, and you warrant that all indorsements are genuine.
To ensure that your check or share draft is processed without delay, you must indorse it (sign it on the back) in a specific area. Your entire indorsement (whether a signature or a stamp) along with any other indorsement information (e.g. additional indorsements, ID information, driver’s license number, etc.) must fall within 1 1/2" of the "trailing edge" of a check. lndorsements must be made in blue or black ink, so that they are readable by automated check processing equipment.
As you look at the front of a check, the "trailing edge" is the left edge. When you flip the check over, be sure to keep all indorsement information within 1 1/2" of that edge.
It is important that you confine the indorsement information to this area since the remaining blank space will be used by others in the processing of the check to place additional needed indorsements and information. You agree that you will indemnify, defend, and hold us harmless for any loss, liability, damage or expense that occurs because your indorsement, another indorsement or information you have printed on the back of the check obscures our indorsement.
These indorsement guidelines apply to both personal and business checks.
DEATH OR INCOMPETENCE - You agree to notify us promptly if any person with a right to withdraw funds from your account(s) dies or is adjudicated (determined by the appropriate official) incompetent. We may continue to honor your checks, items, and instructions until: (a) we know of your death or adjudication of incompetence, and (b) we have had a reasonable opportunity to act on that knowledge. You agree that we may pay or certify checks drawn on or before the date of death or adjudication of incompetence for up to ten (10) days after your death or adjudication of incompetence unless ordered to stop payment by someone claiming an interest in the account.
FIDUCIARY ACCOUNTS - Accounts may be opened by a person acting in a fiduciary capacity. A fiduciary is someone who is appointed to act on behalf of and for the benefit of another. We are not responsible for the actions of a fiduciary, including the misuse of funds. This account may be opened and maintained by a person or persons named as a trustee under a written trust agreement, or as executors, administrators, or conservators under court orders. You understand that by merely opening such an account, we are not acting in the capacity of a trustee in connection with the trust nor do we undertake any obligation to monitor or enforce the terms of the trust or letters.
LEGAL ACTIONS AFFECTING YOUR ACCOUNT - If we are served with a subpoena, restraining order, writ of attachment or execution, levy, garnishment, search warrant, or similar order relating to your account (termed "legal action" in this section), we will comply with that legal action. Or, in our discretion, we may freeze the assets in the account and not allow any payments out of the account until a final court determination regarding the legal action. We may do these things even if the legal action involves less than all of you. In these cases, we will not have any liability to you if there are insufficient funds to pay your items because we have withdrawn funds from your account or in any way restricted access to your funds in accordance with the legal action. Any fees or expenses we incur in responding to any legal action (including, without limitation, attorneys' fees and our internal expenses) may be charged against your account. The list of fees applicable to your account(s) provided elsewhere may specify additional fees that we may charge for certain legal actions.
ACCOUNT SECURITY -
Duty to protect your account information and methods of access - It is your responsibility to protect the account numbers and electronic access devices (e.g., an ATM card) we provide you for your account(s). Do not discuss, compare, or share information about your account number(s) with anyone unless you are willing to give them full use of your money. An account number can be used by thieves to issue an electronic debit or to encode your number on a false demand draft which looks like and functions like an authorized check. If you furnish your access device and grant actual authority to make transfers to another person (a family member or coworker, for example) who then exceeds that authority, you are liable for the transfers unless we have been notified that transfers by that person are no longer authorized.
Your account number can also be used to electronically remove money from your account, and payment can be made from your account even though you did not contact us directly and order the payment.
You must also take precaution in safeguarding your blank checks. Notify us at once if you believe your checks have been lost or stolen. As between you and us, if you are negligent in safeguarding your checks, you must bear the loss entirely yourself or share the loss with us (we may have to share some of the loss if we failed to use ordinary care and if we substantially contributed to the loss).
Positive pay and other fraud prevention services - Except for consumer electronic fund transfers subject to Regulation E, you agree that if we offer you services appropriate for your account to help identify and limit fraud or other unauthorized transactions against your account, and you reject those services, you will be responsible for any fraudulent or unauthorized transactions which could have been prevented by the services we offered. You will not be responsible for such transactions if we acted in bad faith or to the extent our negligence contributed to the loss. Such services include positive pay or commercially reasonable security procedures. If we offered you a commercially reasonable security procedure which you reject, you agree that you are responsible for any payment order, whether authorized or not, that we accept in compliance with an alternative security procedure that you have selected. The positive pay service can help detect and prevent check fraud and is appropriate for account holders that issue: a high volume of checks, a lot of checks to the general public, or checks for large dollar amounts.
TELEPHONIC INSTRUCTIONS - Unless required by law or we have agreed otherwise in writing, we are not required to act upon instructions you give us via facsimile transmission or leave by voice mail or on a telephone answering machine.
MONITORING AND RECORDING TELEPHONE CALLS AND CONSENT TO RECEIVE COMMUNICATIONS - Subject to federal and state law, we may monitor or record phone calls for security reasons, to maintain a record and to ensure that you receive courteous and efficient service. You consent in advance to any such recording.
To provide you with the best possible service in our ongoing business relationship for your account we may need to contact you about your account from time to time by telephone, text messaging or email. However, we first obtain your consent to contact you about your account in compliance with applicable consumer protection provisions in the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA), CAN-SPAM Act and their related federal regulations and orders issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
- Your consent is limited to this account, and as authorized by applicable law and regulations.
- Your consent is voluntary and not conditioned on the purchase of any product or service from us.
With the above understandings, you authorize us to contact you regarding your account throughout its existence using any telephone numbers or email addresses that you have previously provided to us by virtue of an existing business relationship or that you may subsequently provide to us.
This consent is regardless of whether the number we use to contact you is assigned to a landline, a paging service, a cellular wireless service, a specialized mobile radio service, other radio common carrier service or any other service for which you may be charged for the call. You further authorize us to contact you through the use of voice, voice mail and text messaging, including the use of pre-recorded or artificial voice messages and an automated dialing device.
If necessary, you may change or remove any of the telephone numbers or email addresses at any time using any reasonable means to notify us.
CLAIM OF LOSS - If you claim a credit or refund because of a forgery, alteration, or any other unauthorized withdrawal, you agree to cooperate with us in the investigation of the loss, including giving us an affidavit containing whatever reasonable information we require concerning your account, the transaction, and the circumstances surrounding the loss. You will notify law enforcement authorities of any criminal act related to the claim of lost, missing, or stolen checks or unauthorized withdrawals. We will have a reasonable period of time to investigate the facts and circumstances surrounding any claim of loss. Unless we have acted in bad faith, we will not be liable for special or consequential damages, including loss of profits or opportunity, or for attorneys' fees incurred by you.
You agree that you will not waive any rights you have to recover your loss against anyone who is obligated to repay, insure, or otherwise reimburse you for your loss. You will pursue your rights or, at our option, assign them to us so that we may pursue them. Our liability will be reduced by the amount you recover or are entitled to recover from these other sources.
EARLY WITHDRAWAL PENALTIES (and involuntary withdrawals) - We may impose early withdrawal penalties on a withdrawal from a time or term share account even if you don't initiate the withdrawal. For instance, the early withdrawal penalty may be imposed if the withdrawal is caused by the enforcement of our right to repayment of indebtedness against funds in the account or as a result of an attachment or other legal process. We may close your account and impose the early withdrawal penalty on the entire account balance in the event of a partial early withdraw al. See your notice of penalty for early withdrawals for additional information.
ADDRESS OR NAME CHANGES - You are responsible for notifying us of any change in your address or your name. Unless we agree otherwise, change of address or name must be made in writing by each individual wishing to make a change. Informing us of your address or name change on a check reorder form is not sufficient. We will attempt to communicate with you only by use of the most recent address you have provided to us. If provided elsewhere, we may impose a service fee if we attempt to locate you.
RESOLVING ACCOUNT DISPUTES - We may place an administrative hold on the funds in your account (refuse payment or withdrawal of the funds) if it becomes subject to a claim adverse to (1) your own interest; (2) others claiming an interest as survivors or beneficiaries of your account; or (3) a claim arising by operation of law. The hold may be placed for such period of time as we believe reasonably necessary to allow a legal proceeding to determine the merits of the claim or until we receive evidence satisfactory to us that the dispute has been resolved. We will not be liable for any items that are dishonored as a consequence of placing a hold on funds in your account for these reasons.
WAIVER OF NOTICES - To the extent permitted by law, you waive any notice of non-payment, dishonor or protest regarding any items credited to or charged against your account. For example, if you deposit an item and it is returned unpaid or we receive a notice of nonpayment, we do not have to notify you unless required by federal Regulation CC or other law.
UTMA ACCOUNTS - Under the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act, the funds in the account are owned by the child who has unconditional use of the account when he or she reaches the age of majority. Before that time, the account may be accessed only by the custodian (or successor custodian), and the funds must be used for the benefit of the child. We, however, have no duty or agreement whatsoever to monitor or insure that the acts of the custodian (or successor custodian) are for the child's benefit. We are not responsible to monitor age or eligibility for an UTMA account, even though our records may include the minor's date of birth. It is the custodian's responsibility to properly distribute the funds in the account upon the minor's death or attainment of the age of majority. For this type of account, the child's SSN/TIN is used for the Backup Withholding Certification.
ACH AND WIRE TRANSFERS - This agreement is subject to Article 4A of the Uniform Commercial Code - Fund Transfers as adopted in the state in which you have your account with us. If you originate a fund transfer and you identify by name and number a beneficiary financial institution, an intermediary financial institution or a beneficiary, we and every receiving or beneficiary financial institution may rely on the identifying number to make payment. We may rely on the number even if it identifies a financial institution, person or account other than the one named. You agree to be bound by automated clearing house association rules. These rules provide, among other things, that payments made to you, or originated by you, are provisional until final settlement is made through a Federal Reserve Bank or payment is otherwise made as provided in Article 4A-403(a) of the Uniform Commercial Code. If we do not receive such payment, we are entitled to a refund from you in the amount credited to your account and the party originating such payment will not be considered to have paid the amount so credited. Credit entries may be made by ACH. If we receive a payment order to credit an account you have with us by wire or ACH, we are not required to give you any notice of the payment order or credit.
FACSIMILE SIGNATURES - Unless you make advance arrangements with us, we have no obligation to honor facsimile signatures on your checks or other orders. If we do agree to honor items containing facsimile signatures, you authorize us, at any time, to charge you for all checks, drafts, or other orders, for the payment of money, that are drawn on us. You give us this authority regardless of by whom or by what means the facsimile signature(s) may have been affixed so long as they resemble the facsimile signature specimen filed with us, and contain the required number of signatures for this purpose. You must notify us at once if you suspect that your facsimile signature is being or has been misused.
2019
Wolters Kluwer Financial Services, Inc. All rights reserved.
TC-BRO-CU 8/1/2019 Custom TCM-32CUu 201460499-010
