New Rules for Mobile Deposits
The change is designed to help ensure that mobile banking app users aren't able to deposit a check online and then again at a brick-and-mortar bank.
When you use your bank or credit union's mobile app to deposit checks, you may have to start adding more-detailed wording below your signature to ensure that your check will be accepted. The change is designed to address concerns that customers may deposit a check via mobile app with one bank and later deposit the original check at a second institution. In a rule issued this summer, the Federal Reserve said the first bank can avoid taking a loss if the customer writes "for mobile deposit only" or similar phrasing on the check. The Fed hopes the rule will minimize fraud and accidental double deposits.
If your bank is updating its preferred language for endorsements, it may notify you by e-mail or post an announcement on its website. Or check its app—instructions may pop up as you are making a deposit.
If your endorsement doesn't match the bank's model, it may reject the deposit. But many banks will accept the check and later tell you how to write the endorsement, says Matt Kriegsfeld, of Mitek, a mobile-deposit software developer.
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.

Lisa has been the editor of Kiplinger Personal Finance since June 2023. Previously, she spent more than a decade reporting and writing for the magazine on a variety of topics, including credit, banking and retirement. She has shared her expertise as a guest on the Today Show, CNN, Fox, NPR, Cheddar and many other media outlets around the nation. Lisa graduated from Ball State University and received the school’s “Graduate of the Last Decade” award in 2014. A military spouse, she has moved around the U.S. and currently lives in the Philadelphia area with her husband and two sons.
-
Got $100 to Gamble? These Penny Stocks Could Be Worth the RideVolatile penny stocks are high-risk plays with potentially high rewards. If you have $100 you can afford to lose, these three names are worth a look.
-
Being an Executor is a Thankless Job: Do It Well AnywayYou can be a "good" executor of an estate, even though carrying out someone's final wishes can be challenging.
-
Question: Are You Planning for a 20- or 30-Year Retirement?You probably should be planning for a much longer retirement than you are. To avoid running out of retirement savings, you really need to make a plan.
-
The Delayed September CPI Report is Out. Here's What it Signals for the Fed.The September CPI report showed that inflation remains tame – and all but confirms another rate cut from the Fed.
-
Banks Are Sounding the Alarm About StablecoinsThe Kiplinger Letter The banking industry says stablecoins could have a negative impact on lending.
-
What Will the Fed Do at Its Next Meeting?The Federal Reserve is set to resume its rate-cutting cycle at the next Fed meeting.
-
Amazon Resale: Where Amazon Prime Returns Become Your Online BargainsFeature Amazon Resale products may have some imperfections, but that often leads to wildly discounted prices.
-
May Fed Meeting: Updates and CommentaryThe May Fed meeting came and went with little fanfare as Fed Chair Powell & Co. stuck to their data-dependent script toward interest rates amid tariff uncertainty. The May Fed meeting came and went with little fanfare as Fed Chair Powell & Co. stuck to their data-dependent script toward interest rates amid tariff uncertainty.
-
CPI Report Puts the Kibosh on Rate Cuts: What the Experts Are Saying About InflationCPI Consumer price inflation reared its ugly head to start the year, dashing hopes for the Fed to lower borrowing costs anytime soon.
-
Fed Leaves Rates Unchanged: What the Experts Are SayingFederal Reserve As widely expected, the Federal Open Market Committee took a 'wait-and-see' approach toward borrowing costs.
-
CPI Report Keeps the Fed on Track: What the Experts Are Saying About InflationCPI Disinflation in key areas of consumer prices should help the Federal Reserve stick to its policy path of gradual cuts to interest rates.