19 Things Bank Tellers Wish You Would Stop Doing

You're next behind the rope. One window has its light on and a teller looking down at her screen, so you walk over and set your checks on the counter.

Tellers say this happens every week, and some report it several times a day. The next free teller, or the ATM by the door if it can handle what you need, would usually have been quicker.

"I can help who's next" is coming. Wait for it.

Customers curse at a young employee over a simple request for identification, or ID. A savings bond gets crumpled in frustration when the person holding it is told he needs a card to cash it.

I know. You've banked here for years. Why the third degree?

Often the teller has no choice. When you first opened the account, a federal identification rule said the bank had to get your name, date of birth, address and an ID number before it could open it.

Chase also says the bank may ask for ID when you withdraw a large amount of cash or you're a new customer.

For cash transactions over $10,000, the bank has to verify and record the name and address of the person standing at the window. The rule even says a teller can't just jot down "known customer" or point to the signature card on file.

So she may have seen you walk in every Friday for a decade. On a cash day over $10,000, the rule still wants your name and address verified and written down.

The check comes under the glass, face up. Nothing else. The teller asks, "Deposit or cash?" and gets a sigh.

Many tellers describe this exact moment, and the annoyance at the question that follows. They aren't stalling. A check doesn't tell them what you want done with it.

If you'd like some cash back from a deposit, First National Bank of Omaha says you write the amount in the "less cash received" section of your deposit slip. You may also need that amount already in your account in case the check you're depositing bounces, or comes back unpaid.

There's a signature step too. A teller can't release cash from a deposit without the account holder signing the deposit slip for it.

Say "Deposit, but I'd like $100 back" while the check is still in your hand.

She's fanning twenties across the counter, lips moving silently, and you ask about her weekend. Or you check your watch and say you're in a bit of a hurry.

Either one can cost somebody money. Steven Kibbel, a former bank teller who's now a Certified Financial Planner, told GOBankingRates: "When people are rushed or distracted, they often make the mistake of miscounting bills."

Thieves count on that. In 2016, police in Delafield, Wisconsin, described a "quick-change" scam at a Waukesha State Bank branch. Two men asked tellers to swap $2,400 in fifties for hundreds, then asked for euros instead, then asked for their fifties back.

In all that back and forth, one of the men kept six $100 bills as the cash went back to the teller.

Give her ten quiet seconds. Ask about the weekend once the drawer slides shut.

Chase describes a teller withdrawal simply: the teller will count out the money for you and hand it over, and you can get a receipt.

That count is for you to watch, and then repeat. Bank staff who answer questions online give the same advice over and over. Count it yourself at the counter, every time. For a large amount, ask to count it in a private office, away from the lobby.

Mistakes run both ways. Tellers own up to their slips too, like cashing a $90 check for $900. Once you're home, a missing bill becomes your word against a drawer.

Brand-new bills are a classic trap. Haley West, head teller at Kohler Credit Union, said customers who ask for crisp new bills "tend to come back thinking that we shorted them," because fresh bills stick together.

Run your thumb along each edge before the envelope closes.

The keypad is right there on the counter. The teller asks you to enter your PIN, the secret code for your card, and you helpfully recite it instead. Now the man behind you in line knows it too.

She never wanted to hear it. The American Bankers Association runs a campaign called Banks Never Ask That, and its point is short. Your bank will never ask you to share your PIN or your password, and it will never ask you to keep something secret.

The same goes for those codes that get texted to your phone. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the federal consumer protection agency, is blunt: "Never share a verification code. Ever." Not even with a caller who says he's from your bank's fraud department.

Punch it in. Cup your other hand over the keys.

Phone pinned between ear and shoulder, you slide your card under the glass and keep right on talking. Tellers find it rude, sure. Their bigger worry is who's on the other end.

The FTC puts it in one sentence: "If someone wants to keep you on the phone while you go withdraw or transfer money, buy gift cards, or anything else they're asking you to do: that's a scammer."

It also warns that a scammer may tell you to lie so the bank won't stop your transfer. A teller who asks you to hang up may simply be trying to get that voice out of your ear for one minute.

If the caller says "Whatever you do, don't hang up," hang up. Then tell the teller exactly what that caller wanted.

It sat on the dresser for years, slowly filling with pennies, nickels and the odd stray button. Now it's in a grocery bag, heavier than it looks, and you're heading for the bank.

"Coin" comes up again and again when tellers list what they dread seeing at the window.

The kiosk at the supermarket is easy, but it isn't cheap. Coinstar's own site says coin transactions may carry a service fee of up to 15.9% plus a transaction fee of up to $0.99. On a $200 jar, that could be close to $33 gone.

Choose an eGift card, a digital gift card, instead and the fee starts at 0%, though that only helps if it's for a store you'll actually use. Check the screen before you pour.

Or pick up a box of paper coin wrappers and spend an evening rolling in front of the TV, then ask your bank whether it takes them.

The doors lock at five. You pull into the lot at 4:57 with a fistful of checks, sure that if you miss this, the money won't count until Monday.

Maybe not. Wells Fargo, for one, says cutoff times are displayed in its locations, and a deposit made before the cutoff usually posts the same business day. After the cutoff, it posts the next business day. At most of its ATMs, the cutoff is 9 p.m. local time.

Other banks set their own cutoffs, and some may fall before closing. On your next calm visit, read the little sign near the window. You may find you had hours to spare.

You deposit a big check on Tuesday. On Wednesday, only part of it shows as available. It's easy to picture someone at the bank sitting on your money.

They're following a federal timetable, and it got a little friendlier recently. Since July 1, 2025, the first $275 of a check deposit must generally be available the next business day.

Cash, U.S. Treasury checks and cashier's checks generally become available the next business day. When a bank uses what's called an exception hold, meaning extra time before you can use the money, it can generally add up to five extra business days for a local check.

If the timing matters, ask before you hand it over: "When will this be available?" Then line up your bills to match the answer.

You sold something and you're holding a thick envelope of cash. Some customers quietly ask the teller whether they can do nine thousand today and the rest next week.

Banks must file a report on any cash transaction over $10,000. That's routine paperwork. Nobody is accusing you of anything.

Breaking the cash up to dodge that report is where the trouble starts. It has a name, structuring, and it's banned all on its own.

Federal law sets a penalty of up to 5 years in prison. That can rise to 10 years in aggravated cases, such as a pattern of more than $100,000 within 12 months.

What turns an ordinary deposit into a problem is splitting the cash to dodge the report, whether or not you ever say so out loud. Handing over the whole envelope and letting the bank fill out its form keeps you clear of all that.

There it is on your statement: a monthly charge with a name you don't recognize. Your first thought is that someone stole your card.

Often it's a subscription you signed up for and forgot. Many tellers describe customers who dispute charges like these as fraud.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) defines an unauthorized transaction as a charge or withdrawal "you didn't make or allow." A subscription you agreed to, even one you regret, usually isn't that.

If you canceled and they kept billing you, that's different. The FTC says to check your card for charges after you cancel, keep a record of the cancellation, and dispute what doesn't belong through your card company.

Before you say the word "fraud," type the charge's name into a search box and dig through your email for a sign-up receipt. If you still can't place it, call your card company promptly.

Tellers say they see it all the time: tens of thousands of dollars, sometimes more, sitting in plain checking for no particular reason. Offer a better account and some customers wave it off, figuring it's just a sales pitch.

Here's what that costs. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's (FDIC) national averages, as of October 2026, put interest checking at 0.07%, savings at 0.38% and money market accounts at 0.63%.

On $20,000 left in checking for a year, 0.07% comes to about $14. At the average money market rate, the same money earns about $126. Those are averages, so your own bank's rates may be higher or lower.

Keep enough in checking for the month's bills and a cushion. Then ask the teller what your money market account pays right now, and whether it carries fees or a minimum balance.

You hand over your card and figure she sees a name and a balance. She probably sees a good deal more.

Bank staff see your information because their job needs it, and federal security guidelines set the terms. For FDIC-supervised banks, they say the bank must allow access only to authorized people and train its staff.

Watching for fraud is a big part of a teller's day. Security Financial Bank says tellers may ask questions about unusually large cash transactions, big deposits into accounts that usually run low, activity on brand-new accounts, and checks from unfamiliar sources.

Tellers say they're encouraged to look over an account before even a simple transaction.

And according to tellers posting online, at some banks even the nickname you gave an account online can show up on their screen. Plenty of people had no idea accounts could be named at all.

If your savings is labeled "Escape Fund," the teller may already know.

You ask for a large withdrawal, and the teller asks what it's for. It can feel nosy, even a little insulting.

The FTC sees it differently. Its writer Karen Hobbs put it this way: "The bank teller or employee might not know you, but they do know the signs of fraud. If they ask, share why you're withdrawing cash." She adds: "Do not lie to avoid the bank's security department."

The numbers behind that question are grim. From 2020 to 2024, reports from older adults who lost $10,000 or more to impostor scams rose more than fourfold.

In 2024, cash was how the money left in 16% of those $10,000-plus losses.

When the teller asks "What's this for?", answer honestly, even if a caller told you to say it was for a new roof.

It starts friendly. Someone you met online, or a "job" that pays you to help move money, needs your login so they can deposit a check into your account. Then they ask you to send part of it on to someone else.

Many tellers describe customers who did exactly this and ended up thousands of dollars overdrawn.

The FTC calls it a money mule scam. Its warning is plain: "The bank will want you to repay it." With your account information in hand, the scammer may misuse it, and "You could even get into legal trouble."

Timing is the cruel part. By law, banks have to make deposited money available quickly, but fake checks can take weeks to be discovered. By then, the FTC says, the scammer has the money you sent, "and you're stuck paying the money back to the bank."

Don't hand your login to anyone, whatever the story. If you already have, call your bank now and tell them what happened.

You've just taken out a few thousand dollars to buy a used car, and the envelope makes a lump in your coat pocket. Someone in the parking lot may notice it too.

In March 2026, police in Bell, in Los Angeles County, warned about "bank jugging." Thieves watch people leave banks and ATMs with cash, follow them, and steal it, often from their cars. Some worked in groups and punctured tires to force a stop.

The police advice: don't withdraw large amounts alone, keep the cash on you rather than in the car, and watch for cars following you. If a tire goes flat, drive to a busy area before you stop, as long as you can do it safely.

Bank staff who weigh in online often suggest skipping the envelope. A cashier's check is backed by the funds of the bank that issues it, and Chase says it's generally preferred, and sometimes required, for big payments like a vehicle down payment.

Ask for one made out to the seller. It lies flat in a wallet, and it's far less use to a thief than cash.

The phone rings and the voice sounds young and scared. A grandchild, maybe, or a niece, or a friend's son. There's been an accident or an arrest, they need money fast, cash or gift cards, and please don't tell anyone.

That's when you come to the window, and that's when a good teller starts asking questions.

These calls are one slice of a much larger problem. Reporting on FBI figures, AARP says adults 60 and older reported losses of $7.7 billion in 2025 to fraud of all kinds, about 60 percent more than the year before.

In one version of the call, the scammer sends someone to your door to pick up the cash, and once you hand it over, it's gone.

The FTC's fix is simple. Hang up, call the person yourself on a number you already have, and agree on a family password nobody else would know.

A teller who calls a manager over isn't making a scene, she's taking it seriously.

You walk in with a hot face and a balance with a minus sign in front of it, and you want to know what the bank did with your money.

Many tellers know this visit by heart. Usually the account tells the story: a string of small coffee and takeout charges, buy-now-pay-later payments, a few trips to the ATM. Some customers ask to go further below zero. One customer even asked a teller to lend the money personally.

The fees add up fast. The CFPB found that banks with more than $1 billion in assets took in $5.83 billion in overdraft and NSF fees in 2023. NSF means nonsufficient funds, the charge for a bounced payment.

By our calculation, that works out to about $16 million a day. The $5.83 billion is the latest tally the CFPB has published. It's down by about half since 2019, but some banks were still charging as much as $37 per overdraft.

The CFPB, which notes that many banks and credit unions charge $30 or more per overdraft, suggests you sign up for low-balance email or text alerts. Ask your bank what its alerts cost.

Then, if you can do it without missing a due date, set your automatic bills to come out a few days after your deposit lands, so the money is there first.

Tellers say customers who come in calm and admit a slip are far more likely to get extra help than the ones demanding a manager. And the manager is looking at the same statement.