If you suspect an error has been made under the new Check 21 law substitute check processing system, you have 40 days in which to request that your bank reaccredit the disputed amount to your account. The 40-day clock starts running the day you receive either a copy of an individual substitute check or your bank statement that includes copies of your substitute checks. Within ten days of receiving your request to reaccredit, the bank must reaccredit your account up to $2,500 of the disputed amount. Within thirty days, the bank must reaccredit the full amount of the dispute if it is more than $2,500.
Never place a request to reaccredit verbally. Instead, place the request in writing and include the date of the request, a description of the dispute, an estimate of your loss, and a copy of the substitute check or the check number, the name of the payee, and the amount of the check. Keep copies of all correspondence you send to or receive from the bank. If you do speak with the bank, keep notes of the date, the topics discussed, and the name of the person to whom you spoke.
