# Is check kiting a thing of the past? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 6, 2013, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-check-kiting-a-thing-of-the-past/673219 "2013-11-06T04:42:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![davidmich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-check-kiting-a-thing-of-the-past/673219/1 "2013-11-06T04:42:41Z")
Hi, According to Investopedia: “In the past, clearing checks between banks took extended periods of time. Individuals used to take advantage of this delay and wrote “bad” checks to deposit funds before the checks were cashed. Banks have tried to cut down on kited checks by placing holds on deposited funds and charging for returned checks.” Is kiting checks still an issue? I look forward to your feedback. davidmich ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-check-kiting-a-thing-of-the-past/673219/2 "2013-11-06T05:04:48Z")
Staten Island Man Pleads Guilty in $82 Million Check Kiting Scam- May 21, 2013 > **[Staten Island Man Pleads Guilty in $82 Million Check Kiting Scam](https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/newyork/press-releases/2013/staten-island-man-pleads-guilty-in-82-million-check-kiting-scam)** ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-check-kiting-a-thing-of-the-past/673219/3 "2013-11-06T05:07:24Z")
You still have about 24 hours to work with. So if I hand you a check today you can deposit it into your bank account today\*, I’ll be okay as long as I have the funds available in my account to cover the check by tomorrow. \*This may backfire if we use the same bank and it for sure won’t work if you go to my bank and attempt to cash it. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-check-kiting-a-thing-of-the-past/673219/4 "2013-11-06T05:12:10Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Staten Island Man Pleads Guilty in $82 Million Check Kiting Scam- May 21, 2013 > > [http://www.fbi.gov/newyork/press-releases/2013/staten-island-man-pleads-guilty-in-82-million-check-kiting-scam](http://www.fbi.gov/newyork/press-releases/2013/staten-island-man-pleads-guilty-in-82-million-check-kiting-scam) I only skimmed the article, but most banks only allow you to immediately withdraw $100 of check you deposit and make the rest available 24 hours later. This gives the bank time to make sure it’s going to clear. It looks like they were making the entire check available for withdrawal as soon as he deposited it. He might as well have just printed a fake check from his computer for 100 million dollars and cashed it. Either the bank has an odd policy set up to allow that (I’ve never seen it) or they’re in on the scam. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-check-kiting-a-thing-of-the-past/673219/5 "2013-11-06T05:45:23Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I only skimmed the article, but most banks only allow you to immediately withdraw $100 of check you deposit and make the rest available 24 hours later. This gives the bank time to make sure it’s going to clear. It looks like they were making the entire check available for withdrawal as soon as he deposited it. He might as well have just printed a fake check from his computer for 100 million dollars and cashed it. Either the bank has an odd policy set up to allow that (I’ve never seen it) or they’re in on the scam. My credit union allows you to deposit a check and withdraw the full amount immediately, but I haven’t seen that elsewhere. He did have several business accounts, apparently; perhaps the rules are different for those. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-check-kiting-a-thing-of-the-past/673219/6 "2013-11-06T12:24:19Z")
It can still be (and is) done. A few years back, I had a girlfriend that did it quite regularly. There are certain ways that a check can be ‘slowed down’. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Tante\_Dillie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Tante\_Dillie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tante_Dillie)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2013, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-check-kiting-a-thing-of-the-past/673219/7 "2013-11-06T21:32:41Z")
I misread the topic as “Is Czech knitting a thing of the past?” and I came in to bewail the decline of ethnic handicrafts. I need new glasses. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-check-kiting-a-thing-of-the-past/673219/8 "2013-11-07T00:02:26Z")
> [@Tante\_Dillie](#): > > I misread the topic as “Is Czech knitting a thing of the past?” and I came in to bewail the decline of ethnic handicrafts. I need new glasses. That reminds me of the old joke where Martina Navratilova was asking for asylum in the United States. “Do you cache Czechs?”, she asked. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-check-kiting-a-thing-of-the-past/673219/9 "2013-11-07T00:10:21Z")
> [@chorpler](#): > > My credit union allows you to deposit a check and withdraw the full amount immediately, but I haven’t seen that elsewhere. He did have several business accounts, apparently; perhaps the rules are different for those. My large megabank gives me immediate access to $200 as a courtesy, and the balance within 1 business day. This only applies to paper checks, not direct deposits. I rarely have checks to deposit and have never tried cashing a check from the same bank. I do know that higher-tier customers with different accounts have higher courtesy limits. ---
**Author:** ![Tante\_Dillie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Tante\_Dillie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tante_Dillie)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-check-kiting-a-thing-of-the-past/673219/10 "2013-11-07T00:12:05Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > That reminds me of the old joke where Martina Navratilova was asking for asylum in the United States. “Do you cache Czechs?”, she asked. 😃 Good one!