Call Kurtis: Why Aren't Stop Payments Permanent?

A Lincoln man had his check stolen so he called his bank to put a stop payment. When he found out it wasn't a permanent stop, he called Kurtis.

When does stop really mean stop? Banks and credit unions charge a fee to put a stop payment on a check.

Turns out, that stop isn't forever.

Working out of his Lincoln home, Eric Werve, who runs a printing business, wrote a check in December to a paper company.

"They were robbed the next morning and I was told to make a stop payment on my check so I called the bank," says Eric.

The stop payment cost $30. But when he got the confirmation in the mail, he noticed what's called a "release date," which meant the bank would only stop the check for six months.

"I said you got to be kidding me? I thought when you put a stop payment on a check, it was permanent," says Eric.

We checked with some major banks and credit unions and found the fees for stop payments range from $20 to $34 and in each case, it only lasts six months.

"They're technically just following state law, which does state they're effective for six months," says Beth Mills, California Bankers Association vice president of communications.

The law's been on the books since the 1930s says Mills.

Although many banks like Eric's bank, U.S. Bank, consider checks no longer negotiable after six months, which means that a six-month stop should be long enough.

Just in case, here's an idea. Write void after 90 or 180 days right on your check.

"If there's a void date on that check, I think it'd be very rare you'd find a bank that will honor that check," says Mills.

Eric still thinks a stop payment should be permanent and has now changed the way he writes checks.

"I do now date my checks to say void after and put a date on it."

Technically, checks do not expire but even if it's policy not to cash a check after six months, old checks can make it through an ATM or if a teller isn't paying attention.