Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Bank money order

I must be missing something as it is rather painless to just walk in and request said check to be drawn from whatever account you desire. Good luck with your new bank...

There may be a slight misunderstanding about the way banking really works.

As a bank customer, I can walk into my bank with any type of check or MO, walk up to a teller and walk away with a handful of cash in a few minutes with no verification, no problem. My bank does that for me as as courtesy, as I am an account holder in good standing

The bank claims that they can initially "clear" the check within a few days, but that doesn't really mean much.

If it turns out that the issuing bank doesn't honor the check for any reason, like the check is NSF or the MO is counterfeit, that amount will be deducted from the total balance of my account, along with a bounced check fee.

That basic process is the same whether the check is a personal check, Cashiers Check or Money Order, the banks involved in the transaction treat them essentially the same.

That ultimate funds resolution with the issuing bank might take up to several months depending on the issuing bank and how fast they process paper checks.

I have a friend that worked for a major bank and that is mostly all her department did.

That processing delay and the average bank account holder's confusion about all this is how these Nigerian Cashiers Check scams work.

When I was living in IL I actually WORKED for 5/3 Bank (in the northwest suburbs of Crystal Lake). This has been their policy since December of 2016. If you have been able to buy a money order with cash, they have either 1) done it incorrectly or 2) deposited your cash into your account and drawn the money order off of that. This allows for a paper trail in the case of money laundering.

To Boogaloo, Fifth Third treated all Cashier's Checks, Money Orders, and personal checks the exact same. It is cashed against your account, and if it bounces it's taken out of your account. Unless you were cashing a check against OUR bank, it was cashed against your account. This policy was enacted due to the increase in bogus checks. I found no fewer than 20 in the three years I worked there.

The switching of policy to favor channeling transactions through accounts is due to increased regulation on banks to crack down on money laundering. It's why we have to file CTR's and always record ID's. Once criminals figured out that money orders and cashier's checks were "as good as cash" they started forging them at higher rates than even personal checks. That's why all checks are considered equal now. Really, I don't see the need for MO or cashier's checks anymore because you pay for them (Fifth Third was $7 for a CC essential checking accounts when I left) and you get no added benefit.

I think much of the confusion here is due to people not fully understanding banking policies and the regulations that cause them (Reg Z, Reg Q, and the Bank Secrecy Act come to mind)

The benefit of a USPS Money Order is that you can take it to any Post Office and cash it or verify that it is genuine. I don't know if you can do that with a Western Union or Walmart MO or if they charge a fee for that.

Look for a smaller more personal bank. With out an account there, I can walk into the bank I used in WVa from 1970-74 and they'll do anything requested without ever bringing up a screen or looking at a printout.

There is only ever a façade of personal relationship in banking....once they discover all the competitors have figured out another way to dickslap you, your bank will dickslap you just the same.

Agreed. After working there, I only use small banks now. No questions and more friendly. Not to mention less/no fees.

Here all you do is tell them it is wages and they cash it immediately...if you don't then there is a three day wait.

You do know it is very easy to fake money orders and cashier checks, even from banks. That is why most banks do not treat them as cash, unless you have enough money in your personal account to cover it if it does not clear.


The only MO I would accept is a US postal MO period. Checks, banks checks, money orders, etc. are far to easy to fake. I don't have to worry about a postal MO. If they cash it and it's fake, it's on them.

General rule is never send item 'til you have cash in your account.