Pay somebody new, when the name may not be checked
Set up a payment to somebody you have never paid before, knowing that the name you type may or may not be checked — and that the checking has to be you.
A name, a routing number and an account number. That is all it takes to send money to anybody in the country.
What happens to that name varies, and you cannot tell from the screen which kind of payment you are on. Some banks and apps compare it with the receiving account and warn you if it does not match. Zelle often shows you the name it holds before you send. A wire or an ordinary bank transfer frequently checks nothing at all. The numbers are what move the money in every case.
So treat the name as something that might be checked, never as something that will be. Do not send money you could not afford to lose on the strength of a check you are not certain is happening.
Key points
- Set up a payment to somebody new, with the three details it needs
- Say why the name you type is never checked against the account
- Settle a new account with one call to a number you already had
What to remember
- On this bank the name box is only for your records. Elsewhere it may be checked — but the numbers are always what move the money.
- There is no name check. A voice on a number you already had is the whole of it.
Try this
Look at the people your bank has saved for you, under Payments. Remove anybody you will never pay again.
Practice: Pay somebody new, when the name may not be checked. Your first lesson is free, with no account or card; the rest are part of a Lantern plan. Interactive lessons require JavaScript.