The bank put a hold on my deposited check

This notice

The paper or email is titled Notice of Hold. It says the bank is delaying the funds you deposited.

The Federal Reserve model letters C-12 Exception Hold Notice and C-13 Reasonable-Cause Hold Notice use that heading. They state the account number, the date of deposit, the amount delayed, and the day the funds will be available.

C-13 also lists reasons you may see. One listed reason is confidential information that the check may not be paid. Recent CFPB complaints quote that same confidential line from Ally and Capital One.

This paper is not a closed-account letter holding leftover money. It is also not a fraud-claim denial. It is a delay on one check while the account stays open.

Banks use this notice after a teller deposit, a mobile photo, or an ATM drop. The heading may appear in an app alert or in the mail the next day.

The CFPB page How long can a bank or credit union hold funds I deposited? says some deposits must be available the next business day. Cash you hand to a teller is on that list. So are in-person government, cashier, and certified checks. Electronic payments are on that list too.

The same page allows a longer hold in listed cases. Those cases include an account open less than 30 days. They include too many overdrafts in the last six months. They include a deposit at another bank’s ATM. They include a check the bank thinks may not be paid, and a large check.

The CFPB Regulation CC threshold adjustments page sets the current dollars. As of July 1, 2025, the minimum next-day amount is $275. The large-deposit threshold is $6,725. The Ask-CFPB hold page still lists $225 and $5,525. Use the July 2025 figures when those pages disagree.

A mobile-deposit or ATM check is slower than a teller deposit. The CFPB page If I deposit a check into an ATM, are the funds available right away? says there is no rule that ATM checks must be available at once. At your own bank’s ATM, it can take up to two business days. At another bank’s ATM, the law generally requires availability on the fifth business day.

The Federal Reserve Guide to Regulation CC Compliance requires a notice when the bank holds funds beyond its usual policy. If you did not deposit in person, the notice can arrive later. If the bank decided after you left, the notice can arrive later. In those cases the guide says the bank must mail or deliver it by the first business day after the deposit.

A full account freeze is not this notice. If every debit is blocked, and no check amount or availability date appears, you are not holding a Notice of Hold.

Official path

1. Read the Notice of Hold for the account number, deposit date, amount held, stated reason, and the date funds will be available. Circle that date. The Federal Reserve model letters C-12 and C-13 require those fields.

2. Compare the notice with the CFPB page How long can a bank or credit union hold funds I deposited?. Use the July 1, 2025 amounts on the threshold adjustments page when the two CFPB pages disagree. A government or cashier’s check you handed a teller is not the same as a mobile photo of a personal check.

3. Write the bank if the notice has no reason, no amount, or no availability date. Ask for a complete Notice of Hold. C-13 lists reasons such as a returned check, confidential information, or a stale date. Keep a copy and proof of delivery.

4. Leave the held amount unspent until the date on the notice. A posted deposit can still be delayed later the same day. People in CFPB files spent against a hold and then paid an overdraft fee.

5. Ask in writing for a fee refund when two facts are true. You did not get the notice at the deposit. The check was later paid. The Federal Reserve model notices say the bank will refund overdraft or returned-check fees caused only by that extra delay.

6. Submit a complaint at Submit a complaint if the hold runs past the stated date. File if the notice never arrives, or if the bank will not put the reason in writing. Attach the notice, the deposit receipt, and your letter.

People on bank forums often treat a posted check as cash in hand. The official pages win that conflict. Wait for the date on the notice.

What people reported

Often helps

• Saving the email or letter that named the availability date, then writing once for the missing reason instead of repeating the same phone call.
• Asking for the exception-hold notice by that name after an email said only “confidential,” as one Capital One complaint described.
• Requesting an overdraft refund in writing after a hold lasted past the date the teller or app first quoted, as one Truist complaint described.

Often fails

• Spending the check because it posted, then watching a later hold create an overdraft. Ally complaints describe a same-day reversal after an email said funds were available.
• Calling until an agent says “we have no idea.” Huntington complaints describe staff who could not say when the hold would end.

Template

[DATE]

[BANK NAME]
Deposit holds / funds availability
[ADDRESS ON THE HOLD NOTICE OR STATEMENT]

Re: Notice of Hold, account ending [LAST FOUR], deposit dated [DEPOSIT DATE]

I am writing about the hold on my deposit of $[CHECK AMOUNT] dated [DEPOSIT DATE]. Your notice or email dated [NOTICE DATE] said you are delaying availability of those funds until [AVAILABILITY DATE]. The reason shown was [QUOTE THE REASON OR “NONE STATED”].

Please send a complete written Notice of Hold that lists the account number, the date of deposit, the amount being delayed, the specific reason, and the date the funds will be available.

If I did not receive this notice at the time of the deposit, and the check is paid, please refund any overdraft or returned-check fees that resulted solely from this extra delay. Enclosed are copies of [HOLD NOTICE / DEPOSIT RECEIPT / FEE LINE], not originals.

[FULL NAME]
[ADDRESS]
[PHONE]

Enclosures: [LIST]

Stop here if…

• The account is already closed and the bank is holding a leftover balance. That is a different paper from a check-hold notice.
• The paper says a fraud claim is denied or a temporary credit will be reversed. Use the unauthorized-transaction denial guide.
• You were served a levy, a legal order, or court papers against the account. Those deadlines are not the same as a deposit-hold date.

FAQ

The deposit already posted. Can I spend it?

Not until the availability date on the hold notice. Recent CFPB complaints describe banks that posted a check, then delayed access later the same day. The posted line is not the same as money you can withdraw.

The email only says the reason is confidential. Is that enough?

The Federal Reserve model reasonable-cause notice lists a specific reason, including confidential information that the check may not be paid. Ask in writing for the written Notice of Hold with the account, deposit date, amount held, reason, and availability date. Keep that reply.

Can the bank hold my whole large check?

The CFPB threshold rule effective July 1, 2025 sets the large-deposit exception at $6,725. The CFPB hold page still lists $5,525. Use the July 2025 figure. A large-check hold is about the amount over that threshold, not a freeze of the rest of the account.

I got an overdraft fee because the hold lasted longer than I expected. Can I get it back?

The Federal Reserve model hold notice says that if you did not get the notice when you deposited, and the check is later paid, the bank will refund overdraft or returned-check fees caused only by that extra delay. Ask in writing and attach the notice.

Is this the same as a closed account holding leftover money?

No. A Notice of Hold delays one deposited check on an open account. A closed-account letter about leftover funds is a different paper. Use the Chase held-funds guide if the account is already closed.