Banks and trust

Here are my mobile deposit experiences with two banks:

Bank of America

• Funds Availability: Tomorrow. Probably.
• Check: Keep it for 14 days in case they need to verify information.

USAA

• Funds Availability: 100% available immediately
• Check: Shred it.

The message couldn't be more clear. USAA uses a combination of modern technology and trust. They, being a large bank, have the ability to know if a check is good or not. It's 2014, and the technology has existed for a while. In addition, they trust me as a customer. As soon as I complete the mobile deposit, the full amount of the check is available to me. I can spend it, withdraw it, or transfer it to another bank. My money is mine to do with as I please — what a crazy idea.

Bank of America, on the other hand, is a bit of a joke. Either they are not confident in their ability to determine whether a check will clear, or they do not trust me. I have been a Bank of America customer far longer than I've been a USAA customer. If anything, Bank of America has more reason to trust me.

This is just another one of those little paper cut things that will eventually lead me to cut ties with Bank of America. There just isn't much reason to continue putting up with silly things like this.