What would consumers lose?
Consumers would lose the choice of whether get back their original checks. Today, consumers can choose to get their checks back at many banks. Would the substitute check be a full size check? No. Consumers who want to get their checks back would receive a “substitute check,” which is a paper copy of an electronic image of the original check. The substitute check may be of any size, so long as it meets industry standards for a substitute check. Would a “substitute check” be as useful as an original check? No. The substitute check will be legally equivalent, under state and federal law, to an original check. However, the substitute check will not be as useful as the original check for proving forgery or alteration, because it can’t be used to determine pen pressure, and is less useful for handwriting analysis. Would all electronic images of checks be legally equivalent to an original check? No. A consumer whose account agreement does not require the return of original (or substitute) che
