Tellers and front line staff are trained to help you conduct your banking business. While they should know their branch cut-off time and can tell you your available vs. collected balance, they may not be familiar with a “checking-deposit-withdrawal from savings.” To help the tellers help you, make sure you understand what you are trying to accomplish when visiting the bank.

These are some typical requests handled at the teller line:

• Deposit: Putting money into your checking or savings account for spending or saving
• Split Deposit: Depositing funds from one source into multiple accounts
• Deposit with Cash Back: Depositing a portion of a check and getting the remainder in cash
• Loan Payment: Making a payment toward an owed balance on a loan
• Transfer: Moving money from your account to another (can be your own or a friend/relative’s account)
• Withdrawal: Taking money out of your account
• Cash a Check: Turning a check into cash-in-hand
• Change Order: Exchanging currency for different denominations
• Balance Inquiry: Asking for your current balance, as determined by bank

One reason it’s important to know what type of transaction you’re making is because each will likely have its own coordinating ticket or slip. It is important to use the correct ticket for each transaction, as they are encoded with either a specific account number or a special code that designates the type of account (i.e. checking, savings, loan, etc.). Some institutions offer “universal tickets” that can be used for multiple transaction types, but they need to be labeled with a specific code in order to complete the transaction.

If you’re confused about the type of transaction you’re trying to complete, then the teller may be as well. It’s important for the customer and the teller to have patience in these situations. Often times it’s very easy to figure out what type of ticket is needed, even if you don’t know what your transaction is called. For your convenience, most tickets can be filled out by the teller; however, a signature may be required when money is leaving the account.

Tags: teller line, transaction, deposit ticket