Mobile Deposit FAQ’s
Use your smartphone or tablet to take a photo of the front and
back of a check and deposit it—saving you a trip to the bank or
an ATM just to deposit one or two checks!
How do I make a Mobile Deposit?
Login to Mobile Banking, and do the following to make a Mobile Deposit:
1.Tap the Deposit icon at the bottom of the home screen—you should see
Deposit in the header (see Fig. 1).
2. Tap the Deposit Check icon.
Figure 1
Figure 2
3.From your list of eligible accounts, select the Deposit To account (see Fig. 2).
4.Endorse the check specifically for Mobile Deposit—this is important! If a check
is not sufficiently endorsed, it will be rejected upon bank review, even if you
receive a “successful” confirmation message. Here is an example of proper
endorsement for mobile (info in red to be written by the depositor):
Acceptable endorsement
format for Mobile Deposit
All payees must sign the back. Beneath the signatures write Mobile
deposit: FFSB. Note: All payees named on the check must be owners
of the account to which it is being mobile deposited. Therefore, as an
Member FDIC
example, a husband cannot Mobile Deposit a check payable to both him and
his wife into his individual account—regardless of whether the check is
properly endorsed. He can deposit it conventionally at the bank or via ATM/
night deposit but not through Mobile Deposit.
5.We recommend that customers write Mobile deposit: FFSB on the
front of the check as well. First Farmers will still accept a check without this
written on the front, but it lessens the likelihood that you will accidentally
attempt to deposit it a second time in error.
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
6.Enter the check amount and take a clear, sharp photo of the front and back
(see Fig. 3):
a. Flatten and smooth out the check if it is folded or crumpled.
b. Place check on a dark surface for contrast.
c. Be sure there is sufficient lighting and no shadows crossing the check.
d.Hold device as close to the check as you can while capturing all four corners
of the check in the view finder.
e. Have the check fill as much of the view finder as possible.
f. Keep device steady as you take the photo.
g.You can retake the photos as many times as needed to capture the full
check clearly!
7.Once the amount is typed and photos are taken, tap the Next button to view
the confirmation screen (see Fig. 4). If everything is correct, tap Confirm. If the
deposit is initially accepted, you will get a “successful” confirmation message
(see Fig. 5). However, your deposit is technically pending until it passes final
review by First Farmers State Bank (see “Can the bank reject my Mobile
Deposit?” below for more common reasons why a check could be rejected).
8.Keep all checks deposited via Mobile Deposit for 60 days in case the deposit is
unsuccessful for some reason—or in case you think you deposited it when
you actually did not.
CONTINUE FOR MORE FAQ’S...
Mobile Deposit FAQ’s
How do I know if my Mobile Deposit is actually
accepted and credited?
1.Tap the Deposit icon at the bottom of the screen and select Check Deposit
History (see Fig. 6). Your check will be classified one of three ways:
a.Pending (labeled in gold)—these are transactions that have not yet
been reviewed by First Farmers.
Member FDIC
you will end up with three individual deposits into your account for these checks,
respectively—not one deposit total for $65.
Can I view images of the checks deposited in
Mobile Banking?
Yes and no. Checks deposited using Mobile Deposit can be viewed within the Mobile
Deposit module for 30 days. However, images are not available when you simply
review your account activity in Mobile Banking or Online Banking.
How will Mobile Deposits show up on my bank
statement?
They will appear with a description of MOBILE DEPOSIT with the deposit date—no
other information is provided. Unfortunately, this is not something we can change
at this time.
Can the bank reject my Mobile Deposit?
Figure 6
Figure 7
b.Failed (labeled in red)—these were reviewed by the bank and rejected for
some reason (if you are unsure why the deposit would be denied, contact
your local branch).
c.Accepted (labeled in green)—these deposits were reviewed and approved by
First Farmers.
Thirty (30) days of history and images are stored in the Mobile Deposit module
(see Fig. 7). As long as the deposit transaction (pending, failed OR accepted)
shows up in the list, you should be able to tap on it to see the images.
2.View your Mobile Deposit activity periodically until your check has officially
been credited to your account.
3.The daily cut-off time for Mobile Deposits is 4pm. Deposits submitted after this
time are applied to the next day’s business.
What are the dollar/item limits in Mobile Deposit?
1. Check item dollar limit: $2,500
2. Daily deposit amount limit: $5,000 per business day
3.Maximum number of items that can be deposited daily: no specific number—
limits are based on dollar amount, not item count.
What is the daily cut-off time to make a Mobile
Deposit?
Refer to the Mobile Banking Agreement for a complete list of checks First Farmers
will not allow to be deposited via Mobile Banking. However, here are a few of the
most common checks that are ineligible for Mobile Deposit (however, you may
present them for deposit using other conventional methods):
1.Items payable to anyone other than you (includes checks made payable to
others even if they are properly signed over to you).
2.Items that have been altered or corrected in any way, even if they were initialed
by the check issuer.
3. Items payable jointly—unless deposited into an account owned by all payees.
4. Items that specifically state they are VOID after 90 days.
5. Items where the dollar amount written differs from the text amount written.
6. Stale-dated items (items more than six months old)
7.Items with any endorsement on the back other than that specified in the
Agreement.
If you deposit a check on the ineligible list, First Farmers will ultimately reject the
deposit. First Farmers staff may contact you about an ineligible item, but it is your
responsibility to verify that a check has been deposited.
If your check does not even appear in the Pending category when you review your
deposit history, the deposit transmission was never received by First Farmers. Retry
your deposit.
What should I do if a Mobile Deposit is rejected?
You should have retained the original paper item. If you did, you can redeposit it
via Mobile, but you will need to resubmit it from scratch—you are not allowed to
simply go into the Check Deposit History “Failed” category to retry.
If you have already thrown away or destroyed the check, you will need the payer to
reissue a check to you.
You can also call us at 800.441.2265 to verify—or if you have questions.
Typically 4:00pm Monday-Friday when the bank is open for a regular business day.
Can I deposit more than one check at time in
Mobile Banking?
No. Each check submitted is its own individual deposit, subject to the dollar
limits previously mentioned. So, if you have three checks for $10, $25 and $30,
CONTINUE FOR MORE FAQ’S...
Mobile Deposit FAQ’s
Can the bank revoke my ability to make Mobile
Deposits?
Yes. First Farmers has the right to revoke the use of Mobile Deposit, and the reasons
may include (but are not to) the following:
1.You have attempted—accidentally or intentionally—on multiple occasions
to deposit the same item after it has already been credited to your account.
2. You have attempted on multiple occasions to deposit ineligible items.
3.You have deposited checks on multiple occasions that have been returned
due to insufficient funds.
Can I choose not to have Mobile Deposit on my
account?
Yes. Just contact your local branch to have the service removed.
Member FDIC
conventionally. Nothing is completely fail-safe, but there are a few things we can
recommend you try for those occasions when you need to deposit several checks
but cannot get to the bank.
1.Deposit the items via Mobile Deposit but keep a separate written record or
simple spreadsheet of the deposits you are making. Include the check issuer,
issue date, deposit date, amount, and check number. When the checks are
credited to your account, mark them accordingly.
2.If you have several checks for the same amount and they do not all need to be
made on the same business day, consider splitting up your items and depositing
them in smaller batches.
3.After you deposit an item, on the check front write lightly in pencil the deposit
date and account number you deposited it to. If you find later that the check
did not get credited to your account, please contact your local branch for
instructions. This is why it is important to keep your paper items!
If I’m depositing multiple checks (maybe even for
the same amounts), how do I minimize the risk of For answers to questions not found here, contact
a Personal Banker at any First Farmers banking
accidentally making a duplicate deposit?
Keep in mind that Mobile Deposit is not intended for regularly depositing large
numbers of checks at a time. For those situations, we suggest you deposit them
Revised May 2017
location.