Banker Customer Relationship

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PAYOR BANK AND ITS CUSTOMER

When bank may charge account of customer

• Liability of bank to customer for wrongful dishonor; time of determining insufficiency of account.
• Right of customer to stop payment; burden of proof of loss
• Bank not obligated to pay check more than six months old.
• Death or incapacity of customer
• Duty of customer to discover and report unauthorized signature or alteration
• Right of payor bank to subrogation on improper payment.

When bank may charge account of customer

1. General rule.--A bank may charge against the account of a customer an item that is properly payable from that account even though the charge creates an overdraft. An item is properly payable if it is authorized by the customer and is in accordance with any agreement between the customer and the bank.
2. Limitation on customer liability.--A customer is not liable for the amount of an overdraft if the customer neither signed the item nor benefited from the proceeds of the item.
3. Postdated checks.--A bank may charge against the account of a customer a check that is otherwise properly payable from the account, even though payment was made before the date of the check, unless the customer has given notice to the bank of the postdating describing the check with reasonable certainty. The notice is effective for the period stated in section 4403(b) (relating to right of customer to stop payment; burden of proof of loss) for stop-payment orders and must be received at such time and in such manner as to afford the bank a reasonable opportunity to act on it before the bank takes any action with respect to the check described in section 4303 (relating to when items subject to notice, stop-payment order, legal process or set-off; order in which items may be charged or certified). If a bank charges against the account of a customer a check before the date stated in the notice of postdating, the bank is liable for damages for the loss resulting from its act. The loss may include damages for dishonor of subsequent items under section 4402 (relating to liability of bank to customer for wrongful dishonor; time of determining insufficiency of account).
4. Payment to holder on altered or completed item.--A bank that in good faith makes payment to a holder may charge the indicated account of its customer according to:

Liability of bank to customer for wrongful dishonor; time of determining insufficiency of account

1. Wrongful dishonor.--Except as otherwise provided in this division, a payor bank wrongfully dishonors an item if it dishonors an item that is properly payable, but a bank may dishonor an item that would create an overdraft unless it has agreed to pay the overdraft.
2. Liability of bank.--A payor bank is liable to its customer for damages proximately caused by the wrongful dishonor of an item. Liability is limited to actual damages proved and may include damages for an arrest or prosecution of the customer or other consequential damages. Whether any consequential damages are proximately caused by the wrongful dishonor is a question of fact to be determined in each case.
3. Determination of bank.--A payor bank's determination of the customer's account balance on which a decision to dishonor for insufficiency of available funds is based may be made at any time between the time the item is received by the payor bank and the time that the payor bank returns the item or gives notice in lieu of return, and no more than one determination need be made. If, at the election of the payor bank, a subsequent balance determination is made for the purpose of reevaluating the bank's decision to dishonor the item, the account balance at that time is determinative of whether a dishonor for insufficiency of available funds is wrongful.

Right of customer to stop payment; burden of proof of loss

1. Right of customer to stop payment.--A customer or any person authorized to draw on the account if there is more than one person may stop payment of any item drawn on the customer's account or close the account by an order to the bank describing the item or account with reasonable certainty received at a time and in a manner that affords the bank a reasonable opportunity to act on it before any action by the bank with respect to the item described in section 4303 (relating to when items subject to notice, stop-payment order, legal process or set-off; order in which items may be charged or certified). If the signature of more than one person is required to draw on an account, any of these persons may stop payment or close the account.
2. Duration of stop-payment orders.--A stop-payment order is effective for six months, but it lapses after 14 calendar days if the original order was oral and was not confirmed in writing within that period. A stop-payment order may be renewed for additional six-month periods by a writing given to the bank within a period during which the stop-payment order is effective.
3. Burden of proof of loss.--The burden of establishing the fact and amount of loss resulting from the payment of an item contrary to a stop-payment order or order to close an account is on the customer. The loss from payment of an item contrary to a stop-payment order may include damages for dishonor of subsequent items under section 4402 (relating to liability of bank to customer for wrongful dishonor; time of determining insufficiency of account).

Bank not obligated to pay check more than six months old

A bank is under no obligation to a customer having a checking account to pay a check, other than a certified check, which is presented more than six months after its date, but it may charge the account of its customer for a payment made thereafter in good faith.

Death or incapacity of customer

1. Authority of bank unaffected in absence of knowledge.--The authority of a payor or collecting bank to accept, pay or collect an item or to account for proceeds of its collection, if otherwise effective, is not rendered ineffective by incapacity of a customer of either bank existing at the time the item is issued or its collection is undertaken if the bank does not know of an adjudication of incapacity. Neither death nor incapacity of a customer revokes the authority to accept, pay, collect or account until the bank knows of the fact of death or of an adjudication of incapacity and has reasonable opportunity to act on it.
2. Limited authority of bank following knowledge.--Even with knowledge, a bank may for ten days after the date of death pay or certify checks drawn on or before that date unless ordered to stop payment by a person claiming an interest in the account.

Duty of customer to discover and report unauthorized signature or alteration

1. Statement of account.--A bank that sends or makes available to a customer a statement of account showing payment of items for the account shall either return or make available to the customer the items paid or provide information in the statement of account sufficient to allow the customer reasonably to identify the items paid. The statement of account provides sufficient information if the item is described by item number, amount and date of payment.
2. Retention of items.--If the items are not returned to the customer, the person retaining the items shall either retain the items or, if the items are destroyed, maintain the capacity to furnish legible copies of the items until the expiration of seven years after receipt of the items. A customer may request an item from the bank that paid the item, and that bank must provide in a reasonable time either the item or, if the item has been destroyed or is not otherwise obtainable, a legible copy of the item.
3. Duty of customer.--If a bank sends or makes available a statement of account or items pursuant to subsection (a), the customer must exercise reasonable promptness in examining the statement or the items to determine whether any payment was not authorized because of an alteration of an item or because a purported signature by or on behalf of the customer was not authorized. If, based on the statement or items provided, the customer should reasonably have discovered the unauthorized payment, the customer must promptly notify the bank of the relevant facts.
4. Effect of failure to report unauthorized signature or alteration.--If the bank proves that the customer failed, with respect to an item, to comply with the duties imposed on the customer by subsection (c), the customer is precluded from asserting against the bank:
5. The customer's unauthorized signature or any alteration on the item if the bank also proves that it suffered a loss by reason of the failure; and
6. The customer's unauthorized signature or alteration by the same wrongdoer on any other item paid in good faith by the bank if the payment was made before the bank received notice from the customer of the unauthorized signature or alteration and after the customer had been afforded a reasonable period of time, not exceeding 30 days, in which to examine the item or statement of account and notify the bank.
7. Allocation of loss.--If subsection (d) applies and the customer proves that the bank failed to exercise ordinary care in paying the item and that the failure substantially contributed to loss, the loss is allocated between the customer precluded and the bank asserting the preclusion according to the extent to which the failure of the customer to comply with subsection (c) and the failure of the bank to exercise ordinary care contributed to the loss. If the customer proves that the bank did not pay the item in good faith, the preclusion under subsection (d) does not apply.
8. Statutes of limitations applicable to customer.--Without regard to care or lack of care of either the customer or the bank, a customer who does not within one year after the statement or items are made available to the customer (subsection (a)) discover and report the customer's unauthorized signature on or any alteration on the item is precluded from asserting against the bank the unauthorized signature or alteration. If there is a preclusion under this subsection, the payor bank may not recover for breach of warranty under section 4208 (relating to presentment warranties) with respect to the unauthorized signature or alteration to which the preclusion applies.

Right of payor bank to subrogation on improper payment.

If a payor bank has paid an item over the order of the drawer or maker to stop payment, or after an account has been closed, or otherwise under circumstances giving a basis for objection by the drawer or maker, to prevent unjust enrichment and only to the extent necessary to prevent loss to the bank by reason of its payment of the item, the payor bank is subrogated to the rights:

• of any holder in due course on the item against the drawer or maker;
• of the payee or any other holder of the item against the drawer or maker either on the item or under the transaction out of which the item arose; and
• of the drawer or maker against the payee or any other holder of the item with respect to the transaction out of which the item arose.

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