4. Dividend checks of the bank.
5. General items—including the bank's cashier's checks, coupon checks, redemption checks, clearances returned, and irregular items.
These are made up into packages of, say, 300 each, listed and proved, the totals of the lists being proved against the mail teller's charge. The packages are then laid aside to be sorted into the rack later.
If the bank is one that employs the early nine o'clock ex changes at the clearing house, the items received are handled in the same manner.
By the time the later exchanges arrive all the accounts current clerks have been released by the mail teller. The later exchanges and such items as have been left over from the early exchanges are divided equally among, say, seven groups of ten clerks each, each group being under the direction of a captain and assistants. As fast as the packages are proved they are sorted into a rack according to the ledger headings, as given in the chart of accounts above. The items are then ready for the signature clerks, who start on their duties as soon as posible, so that if they discover a forgery it will be possible to return the check to the sending bank before close of banking hours. Usually by noon all the exchanges are proved. The clearances are run up on machines, are charged to the fifth teller, and sent to the drawee bank by noon. As soon as the exchanges are proved, the accounts current clerks immediately start sorting their checks and list them on machines, the lists showing the total of checks for each account, after which the bookkeepers start posting, using the slip totals to facilitate their work.
Clerks from the check desk are constantly collecting checks from the various tellers of the bank each afternoon, and these checks are sorted, listed, and proved against the various ledgers in much the same way as are the checks received from the clearing house. These checks are handed to the signature clerks and then to the bookkeepers, who in turn give them to the accounts current clerks for posting and proving against their afternoon slips.
Examining the Items Each day before the close of business hours all checks received by the bank and affecting its accounts are closely examined for possible defects. The signatures are viseed by the signature
clerks; the bookkeepers see that no check is charged that is either postdated or of stale date; the accounts current clerks watch for the proper indorsement of large checks; and the filling clerk reads the fillings to see that they agree with the figures. Any defects, when discovered, are referred to the check clerk. In some instances the items are returned to the sending banks either for a redemption check or for a special guaranty, and in some cases the items are paid.
All requests to stop payments are referred to the stop-clerk; he immediately enters the time and date of receipt on the back of the order, and notice is sent to the paying teller and certification clerk. The order is then sent to the auditing department, where the check files are examined to learn whether the check has been paid; if it has not been paid, it is so stated on the order and re turned to the check desk department. The accounts current clerk then examines the accounts current sheets in his book to see whether the check has been paid. When certain that it has not been paid, the order is recorded in the general stop-payment book and also in the bookkeeper's individual record. When a check marked "duplicate" is received, resort is had to the stop-pay ment book to see whether any orders have been received to stop payment of the original and pay the duplicate, and if such in structions have been received they are followed. In default of instructions and in case a search of files does not reveal the payment of the original, the duplicate is paid.
The Proofs The items are disposed of as follows: Foreign items are sent in batches to the foreign division as soon as proved. The foreign bookkeepers return a proof later showing the items as they have been charged to the different foreign ledgers, and these are entered in the trial proof as shown below. Certificates of deposit, cashier's checks, redemption checks, and coupon checks are charged to the general bookkeeper. Returned items and clearances are charged to the fifth teller.