One month ago, we wrote that GoBank, the mobile bank account from Green Dot Corp., had — at last — eased up on its mobile check deposit policies. The bank was infamous for its stiff risk management policies, holding personal checks for up to 10 days.
On Aug. 15, GoBank stepped back from that policy, telling clients in an email:
We’ve revamped our system so the majority of deposits will now have shorter hold times. (Woohoo!) Checks that used to be held for 10 days now qualify for a shorter hold time and quicker deposit.
If you deposit a check and we have to hold it longer than 3 business days, we’ll send you an email with an option to cancel the deposit if you’d rather deposit the check somewhere else. Deposits held for 1-3 business days can’t be canceled.
However, it appears this more liberal policy was rescinded before it even started. As of today, the bank’s FAQ page states that, regarding personal checks deposited via mobile, “All personal checks will take 10 business days to post.”
Further, a GoBank representative wrote the following to a customer:
On our website we communicate to our members that personal checks will always be held for 10 business days. You are able to deposit cash directly to your account with your GoBank debit card at a participating Walmart, K-Mart, 7-Eleven or Rite Aid store. This will allow you to deposit cash directly into your account.
Clearly, GoBank is not interested in accepting personal checks via mobile. Now, check use is declining, so perhaps this strident policy is not that onerous. After all, PayPal did away with its mobile deposit, supposedly for lack of consumer interest, last June.
Still RDC fraud risk is extremely rare, according to a recent Mitek study, and it is inconvenient to say the least to make customers wait 10 days to get funds. Clarity is helpful — but what was that August customer email about?
We have reached out to Green Dot for comment and will update this blog if appropriate.