Understanding NSF Fees and Optional NSF Service

If your checking account does not contain a sufficient Available Balance, we may honor and pay checks, ACH transactions and requested transfers presented for payment and will charge an NSF fee only when your account is covered by the Optional NSF Service for Deposit Accounts.

If you maintain your account in good standing, it will be automatically covered by the Optional NSF Service for Deposit Accounts unless you have opted out or become ineligible. For more information, please see the Account Agreements (PDF) and the Account Disclosure (PDF). You may opt out of the Optional NSF Service for Deposit Accounts by contacting us in person, by phone or by mailing us an opt-out request.

You can avoid being charged future NSF fees by ensuring all of your transactions that post to your account are less than or equal to your Available Balance including:

• Checks
• ACH transactions
• Requested transfers

Keep in mind that your Available Balance may be less than your Current Balance because of pending transactions as described in the Pending Transactions Examples section below. Spending more than your Available Balance can draw your account negative, and you may be charged NSF fees.

Remember to carefully track your spending, be aware of your scheduled and recurring transactions and regularly monitor your Available Balance.

NSF fees are assessed based on your Available Balance and not on your Current Balance. Your Available Balance is calculated by subtracting the amount of pending transactions from your Current Balance.

This means that your Current Balance may be greater than your Available Balance because your Current Balance does not reflect holds placed on your account because of pending:

• Deposits
• ACH debits
• Person-to-person transactions
• Debit card purchase transactions
• Temporary merchant payment authorization transactions

Your Current Balance only reflects deposits and payment transactions that have actually posted to your account.

Your Available Balance may be less than your Current Balance because of pending transactions such as:

• Holds placed on deposits.

  For check deposits, at least the first $225 will be available on or before the first business day after the day of your deposit. The remaining funds (up to $5,525) will be on hold for up to two business days. For example, if you deposit a $3,000 check, we will make at least $225 available on or before the first business day after the day of deposit. We will make the remaining $2,775 available on or before the second business day after the day of deposit. The amount on hold is not available for you to spend until the hold is released.

  
  

  When you deposit a check greater than $5,525, we will place a five-day large deposit exception hold on any amount greater than $5,525. For example, if you deposit a $6,000 check, we will make at least $225 available on the first business day after the day of deposit. We will make an additional $5,300 available on the second business day after the day of deposit and the $475 will be made available on the fifth business day after the day of deposit. The amounts on hold are not available for you to spend until the holds are released.

  
  

  The amount being held will not be included in your Available Balance, but it will be included in your Current Balance. In the examples above, your Available Balance will be less than your Current Balance until the hold is released.

• Holds placed because of authorized pending debit card purchase transactions or temporary merchant payment authorization transactions that have not yet posted to your account.

  When you use your debit card at a gas station, the gas station creates an authorized pending payment transaction and places a three-day temporary merchant payment authorization hold of $75 on your account – that $75 on hold is not available for you to spend. Please note: The amount of this temporary hold may exceed the amount of the actual transaction.
  
  

  The amount being held will not be included in your Available Balance, but it will be included in your Current Balance. In this example, your Available Balance will be $75 less than your Current Balance until the gas station posts the pending payment transaction and/or removes the hold, or the hold is dropped from your account.

• Holds placed because of pending authorized transactions or pledged account funds.

  Examples of pending authorized transactions include ACH debits and person-to-person transactions that have not yet posted to your account. Examples of pledged or assignment of account funds include secured credit card, minimum balance requirements, or to comply with court orders or other legal processes.

  
  

  Whenever a hold is placed on your funds, those funds on hold are not available for you to spend. The amount being held will not be included in your Available Balance, but it will be included in your Current Balance. As a result, your Available Balance will be less than your Current Balance.

Definitions for Available Balance and Current Balance are contained in BECU's Account Agreements (PDF).

We display Current Balance and Available Balance in Online Banking as shown below: