Bank Routing Number - ABA Routing Number

A Bank Routing Number is a nine digits bank code appears on the bottom of any negotiable instrument such as checks, demand draft, etc. this is to identify which financial institution is associated with the account. In the world of credit card and debit card some times you may come across check to gather your online information. The bank routing number database will help you to find out the exact number whenever necessary.

Bank routing number is also known as ABA (American Bank Association) routing number. The ABA routing number is also used by Federal Reserve Bank to process transfer fund by means of Wire Transfer and Automated Clearing House for direct deposit, bill payment, etc.

Basically the bank routing number appears in 2 forms in a standard checks i.e. the fraction form and the MICR (magnetic ink character recognition) form. MICR form is printed in magnetic ink which is machine readable, it appears in the upper right part of the check and fraction form is manually readable consist of nine digits number.

A routing number can be used to look up details about the particular banks location and their Federal Reserve sources. Below are few information a routing number provides:

• The first 2 digits included in the routing number is the location of the bank.
• The third, fourth and fifth digits include the actual bank from which the checks are issued.
• The next three digits are the symbol of the 12 Federal Reserve Banks is associated with your local bank.
• The ninth digit in the routing transit number is the check digit. The check digit provides a test for transposition errors and check authenticity.
• The symbol to the right side of a routing number is the MICR E-13B transit character.

Bank Routing Number | ABA Routing Number

A Bank Routing Number is a 9 digits bank code used in the US. The number appears in the bottom of every negotiable instrument such as checks, drafts, etc. Any financial institution can be identified by the 9 digits number. This code helps for sorting, bundling and shipment of paper checks back to the drawer’s bank account. This number is used to facilitate the electronic routing of funds (ACH transfer) from one bank account to another.

Bank Routing Number is also used by the Federal Reserve Banks to process wire transfer and by the ACH payment processing to deposit directly to the merchants account. Bank Routing numbers depend on the type of transaction made. Every transaction has a unique routing number.

The easiest way to identify bank routing number is to open your checkbook and look at the bottom of the check, you can find at the right hand side of your account number it’s just 9 digits. You can easily set up direct deposit for your paycheck, or you set up an automatic payment plan for your monthly bills.

Routing Number verification is very important in the check processing. If you need to verify the validity of a bank routing number or you need routing number verification, lot of tools are available free of cost online. Every bank routing number used in the ACH system can be searched online. Most of the tools are totally free and it is updated every working day.

The Automated Clearing House (ACH) is an electronic payment delivery system which allows you to make payments or collect funds electronically through the ACH network. ACH payment processing online gives you better control over the timing of payments that post to your bank account(s). ACH transactions are usually next-day entries when exchanged with other financial institutions. ACH functions include direct deposits and check conversions from paper checks to electronic.

What is an ABA Routing Number?

An ABA (American Bankers Association) Routing Number is a 9 digits code used in the US. This number appears in the bottom of a Cheque, which identify the bank associated with the customer’s bank account. To identify the ABA routing number look at the left corner of the negotiable instrument such as Cheques, deposit slip etc.

The ABA routing number is used by the Federal Reserve Bank to transfer funds and by the ACH to process debit or credit payments and for other Automated Clearing House (ACH) transactions. The ABA routing number is administrated under the sponsorship of the American Bankers Association, which was designed in 1910.

The ABA routing number appears twice on a Cheque i.e. in the fraction form and the MICR (Magnetic Ink Character Recognition) form. Both the forms give the same information but there is a slight difference i.e. MICR form is printed in magnetic ink and it’s readable by machines. Whereas the friction forms are used for manual processing.

Generally MICR form is served as a backup in Cheque processing to prevent it from fraud and other precautionary measures.

The 1st two digits of the 9 digits ABA number must be in the range of 00 through 12, 21 through 32, 61 through 72, or 80.

Rest of all digits is associated as follows:

• 00 is used by the Government of The United State.
• 01 through 12 are the "normal" routing numbers, and correspond to the 12 Federal Reserve Banks. For example, 0160-0959-3 is the routing number for Bank of America incoming wires in Boston, with the initial "01" indicating the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
• 21 through 32 were assigned only to thrift institutions (e.g. credit unions and savings banks) through 1985, but are no longer assigned .
• 61 through 72 are special purpose routing numbers designated for use by non-bank payment processors and clearinghouses and are termed Electronic Transaction Identifiers (ETIs), and correspond to the normal routing number, plus 60.
• 80 is used for traveler's cheques.

Sample of ABA Routing Number: