I'm confused! I use my bank's online banking service as well as its ATMs, and I can't figure out which balance I should believe. Sometimes the ATM balance is higher than the online banking system shows. Sometimes it's the other way around.
We can understand your confusion, because we've run into the same situation. It's not uncommon for a bank's ATMs and its online banking system to run on two different computer systems. Each system starts with the same information at the start of the business day -- the ending balance for the previous day's business -- but that's where the similarities end. Some banks give full or partial credit in their ATM balances for deposits made at the ATM during the day, but not on their online systems. Other banks might update the online system's balance to reflect cash deposits made at branches, but not reflect those deposits at the ATM. The two systems are brought into sync at the end of the business day after all account activity is recorded.
Of course, neither the ATM nor the online system balance should be relied on for accuracy, when it comes to a checking account. The bank has no way of knowing about checks that you've written that have not yet cleared. The only reliable balance for a checking account is found in an updated, carefully maintained checkbook register, either in the traditional style or electronic.
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We can understand your confusion, because we've run into the same situation. It's not uncommon for a bank's ATMs and its online banking system to run on two different computer systems. Each system starts with the same information at the start of the business day -- the ending balance for the previous day's business -- but that's where the similarities end. Some banks give full or partial credit in their ATM balances for deposits made at the ATM during the day, but not on their online systems. Other banks might update the online system's balance to reflect cash deposits made at branches, but not reflect those deposits at the ATM. The two systems are brought into sync at the end of the business day after all account activity is recorded.
