§331 — Title 12 Banks and Banking | U.S. Code

Summary

Bank staff at a Federal Reserve member bank must not certify a check unless the person or company who wrote it has the funds on deposit at that bank when the check is certified. A proper certification makes the bank responsible for the check, and violating this can risk the bank’s Federal Reserve membership after a Board hearing.

Title 12, §331

Banks and Banking — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

It shall be unlawful for any officer, clerk, or agent of any bank admitted to membership under authority of this subchapter, to certify any check drawn upon such bank unless the person or company drawing the check has on deposit therewith at the time such check is certified an amount of money equal to the amount specified in such check. Any check so certified by duly authorized officers shall be a good and valid obligation against such bank, but the act of any such officer, clerk, or agent in violation of this subchapter, may subject such bank to a forfeiture of its membership in the Federal reserve system upon hearing by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This subchapter, referred to in text, was in the original “this section”, meaning section 9 of act Dec. 23, 1913, which is classified generally to this subchapter (§ 321 et seq.). Codification Section is comprised of the fourteenth par. of section 9 of act Dec. 23, 1913, as amended. The fourteenth par. constituted the eleventh par. of section 9 in 1917 (40 Stat. 232), became the twelfth par. in 1927 (44 Stat. 1229), became the thirteenth par. in 1935 (49 Stat. 704), and became the fourteenth par. in 1950 (64 Stat. 458). For further details, see Codification notes set out under section 321 and 329a of this title.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

section 203(a) of act Aug. 23, 1935, changed name of Federal Reserve Board to Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

§331 Certifying checks on State banks admitted as members