• Keep good records. Record all your transactions, including those that can be easily forgotten.
• Monitor your checking account activity regularly.
• Balance your checking account each month.
• Plan for the “unexpected.” Save.
• Don’t spend more than you have.

“Don’t spend more than you have” sounds like good advice—and it is. But it doesn’t address the complexity of managing your life, your finances, and your checking account. This guide will help by providing information you need to manage your checking account successfully.

Check Register

When you opened your checking account with us, we provided you a check register. A check register is a great way to record all of your transactions, not just checks.

If you don’t have a check register, you can get one from us, create one of your own in software like Microsoft Excel, find one online, or just use a notebook. The point is to have a tool  you use regularly to keep track of the money coming in and going out of your account.

Make sure to use your check register and write down:

• Every transaction made including debit card and ATM transactions.
• Every fee assessed—ATM fees, monthly Maintenance Fees, ATM fees charged by other institutions, etc.
• ACH auto-debit transactions—the bills or payments you set up to pay automatically from your account that can be overlooked easily.
• Auto-transfers—money set up to transfer from your checking account to a car loan, savings account, or other account that can be overlooked easily.

Each month we provide you with your checking account statement. Your statement is a record of all the transactions that have been posted to your account since your last statement.

The balance you have in your check register may be different than the balance you see on your statement, at the ATM, or the balance you see for your account in our digital banking system. This is because the balance we show for your account may not include transactions you have made that have not cleared. However, your check register should include all your transactions. By recording all of your transactions, you’ll have a good idea of what you really have in your account.

You can avoid the penalties of overdrawing your account by keeping a careful record of what goes in and comes out of it. After all, it’s your money.

Planning

• Record all of your recurring transactions (those that you have set up to happen automatically on a regular schedule) for the month.
• Create a reference list like the one below to help you remember to record each transaction every month. You can use simple spreadsheet software, or even just a lined notebook.

Note: Remember to record all transactions that you have set up directly with  merchants (ACH auto-debit or online bill payment), as well as recurring debit card transactions.

Recording Your Transactions

• Record all transactions in your check register.
• Remember to record your recurring transactions. You may want to do this at the beginning of every month.
• Be sure to record easy to overlook transactions like:
  • Everyday debit card transactions, also called point of sale (POS) transactions
  • ATM withdrawals
  • ACH auto-debits
  • ATM fees
  • Transfer fees
  • Overdraft fees

Balancing Your Account

• Keep a running total of the money in your account in your check register as you record your transactions.
• Use Digital Banking or your monthly statement to check off transactions that have cleared or posted to your account.
• Compare your balance on your register with the balance you get from us. We may not show the same balance as your register since your account may still have pending transactions that have not posted.
• To balance your account, you will need to consider the debits and credits that have not yet posted (pending transactions), as well as transactions you have made that have not reached the financial institution at all. You may also need to consider any holds on your account, including check holds and preauthorization holds.

Some financial institutions may provide two balances. The current balance (sometimes called ledger balance) does not include any pending transactions. The available balance may include pending transactions. We provide both balances for Digital Banking and at the ATM. We provide the current balance for TeleBanking.

Keep these guidelines in mind when you are planning to make a purchase or write a check.

When Does a Transaction Post?

Remember to Record Fees

Be sure to review your account opening documents or go to our website to verify all fees:

• Monthly Maintenance Fee and/or requirements to waive Maintenance Fee
• ATM fees
• Overdraft fees

• Do you have enough money in your account to cover the check? (Think current vs. available balance.)
• Did you write the check in ink? (Remember, it’s a legal document.)
• Did you write the correct date on the check? Checks may not be accepted if they are written with a future date.
• Did you totally fill in the “pay to the order of” line?
• Did you make sure the numeric and written amounts of the check match?
• Did you sign the check just like you did on your signature card at the financial institution?
• Did you record the check in your check register?
• Did you record any associated fees?
• Did you tell others on the account you have written the check so they don’t overdraw the account?

An overdraft occurs when there is not enough money in your account to cover a transaction when it posts to your account. Overdrawing your account and having checks or electronic payments returned can be embarrassing and cause a lot of inconvenience. Returned items can lead to additional fees, such as merchant fees (returned check fees) and late fees, or even the loss of checking writing privileges.

Remember…

• Overdrafts can be caused by any type of transaction (check, debit card purchase, ACH, ATM).
• If a check or electronic payment is returned, you are responsible for the amount of the transaction, plus any fees associated with the returned item.

How to Avoid Overdrafts

• Use the tips provided in this guide.
• Consider Overdraft Protection Services.

Overdraft Protection (check with us for details)

• Auto Transfer (or sweep)—moves money from another account linked to your checking account to cover overdrafts. There may be a fee associated with the transfer.
• Overdraft Line of Credit—a loan that draws a pre-set amount or only the amount needed to your checking account to cover overdrafts. In addition to interest on the loan, there may also be a transfer fee and/or annual fee for this service.
• Kish Courtesy Overdraft Program—an optional service that can pay overdrafts up to a pre-set limit and assesses a fee.

Opt-In/Opt-Out

• While your account may automatically provide Kish Courtesy Overdraft Program coverage for checks, in-branch transactions, recurring debit card transactions, ACH transactions, and digital banking account transfers and bill payments, you must request coverage for non-recurring debit card and ATM transactions by opting-in.
• Contact us to find out how you can opt-in.
• We will provide you with a written confirmation of your consent to opt-in.
• You can change your opt-in request or completely opt-out of the Kish Courtesy Overdraft Program at any time by contacting us.

Putting Money in Your Account

• Direct deposit
• Convenient lobby hours
• Drive-up windows
• Deposits at ATMs
• Digital banking and TeleBanking transfers
• Mobile deposits with the Kish Bank app

Please refer to our Funds Availability Policy for our daily cut-off times.

Taking Money Out of Your Account

• Convenient lobby hours
• Drive-up windows
• Kish Bank ATMs—view our locations or log into Digital Banking to find the ATM that is the most convenient for you.
• Debit cards—pay for your purchases and get cash 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, anywhere MasterCard® is accepted.
• Digital Banking—a convenient way to access your funds to make account transfers, bill payments, person-to-person payments, and much more! Sign up today.
• TeleBanking transfers

Keeping Track of Your Account

• Digital Banking—view account balances, transactions, and eStatements.
• TeleBanking and ATM balance inquiries
• Text and email alerts—receive alerts for a number of actions on any of your accounts or cards.