If neither the account owner nor the account officer can be reached, what may happen to the check?

If neither the account owner nor the account officer can be reached, what may happen to the check?

• A. The check may be refused
• B. The check may be cashed with supervisor approval
• C. The check may be deposited
• D. The check may be sent to collection

Answer: (A)

When handling checks, banks must verify that the person requesting payment is authorized to access the account and that there are sufficient funds or proper instructions to proceed. If neither the account owner nor the account officer can be reached to confirm these details, the bank cannot safely release funds. Refusing the check protects the account owner from improper withdrawals and guards the bank against potential fraud. The other options aren’t appropriate here because depositing a check or paying it out typically requires authorization or a clear instruction from someone with authority, and sending the item to collection is not a standard remedy for an authorization gap.

When handling checks, banks must verify that the person requesting payment is authorized to access the account and that there are sufficient funds or proper instructions to proceed. If neither the account owner nor the account officer can be reached to confirm these details, the bank cannot safely release funds. Refusing the check protects the account owner from improper withdrawals and guards the bank against potential fraud. The other options aren’t appropriate here because depositing a check or paying it out typically requires authorization or a clear instruction from someone with authority, and sending the item to collection is not a standard remedy for an authorization gap.