Bank transaction code lookup

Card purchases

• POSPoint of sale purchaseA card purchase at a physical terminal. The merchant is in the text that follows — POS itself names the mechanism, not a company.
• POS DEBITPoint of sale debitSame as POS: your debit card at a terminal. US banks love this prefix; strip it mentally and read what follows.
• CHKCARDCheck card (debit card) purchaseA debit card purchase — Bank of America's favourite prefix. The merchant follows, often with an authorisation date.
• DBTDebit card transactionGeneric debit-card marker used by several banks. Purely mechanical; identify the merchant from the remaining text.
• PINPIN-verified purchaseThe card was present and the PIN entered — useful in disputes, because PIN presence weighs against a card-absent fraud claim.
• SIGSignature purchaseA signature (or no-CVM) card purchase, routed over credit rails even on a debit card.
• RECURRINGRecurring card paymentThe merchant charged a stored card under a recurring authorisation — a subscription or instalment. If unrecognised, hunt the subscription, not a purchase.
• ATMATM withdrawalCash from a machine. The location text is the ATM operator, which may be a third party rather than a bank you know.

ACH (US bank-to-bank)

• ACHAutomated Clearing House transferA US bank-to-bank transfer you (or a biller you authorised) set up. ACH debits mean a company is pulling money under an authorisation — the sub-code says how it was authorised.
• PPDPrearranged payment & depositA consumer ACH under a standing authorisation — payroll deposits, utility autopay, gym drafts. If a PPD debit is unfamiliar, you signed something once; check the company name in the entry.
• CCDCorporate credit or debitBusiness-to-business ACH. On a personal account it's unusual — often a sole-proprietor arrangement or an incorrectly-coded biller.
• WEBInternet-authorised ACHYou (or someone with your bank details) authorised this debit online. Common for one-off bill payments and modern billers.
• TELTelephone-authorised ACHA debit authorised over the phone. Legitimate for phone bill-pay — but also the coding used in some phone-scam debits; treat unfamiliar TEL entries seriously.
• ARCAccounts receivable check conversionYou mailed a paper cheque and the biller converted it to an electronic debit. The cheque never comes back — this entry is it.
• BOCBack office check conversionA cheque you handed over in person, converted to ACH later in the merchant's back office.
• POPPoint of purchase check conversionYour cheque was scanned at the till and handed back — the payment ran as ACH.
• RCKRe-presented check entryA cheque that bounced is being retried electronically. Expect an NSF fee nearby if funds were short.
• IATInternational ACH transactionA cross-border ACH — the funds ultimately came from or went abroad. Extra screening applies, so these sometimes post late.
• CTXCorporate trade exchangeB2B ACH with attached remittance data. Rare on consumer accounts.
• EFTElectronic funds transferThe generic umbrella term some banks print instead of a specific code. Read the counterparty text for the who.

Transfers & instant payments

• WIREWire transferA same-day pushed transfer, usually with a fee line nearby. Wires are effectively irreversible — an unexpected outgoing wire is an emergency call to your bank.
• TFRTransferA movement between accounts — often your own. Check whether the counterparty is another of your accounts before worrying.
• XFERTransferSame as TFR; different bank, same meaning.
• P2PPerson-to-person paymentZelle/Venmo-style payment. The person's name usually rides along; unfamiliar names on P2P rails deserve immediate attention.
• RTPReal-time paymentAn instant-rails transfer (RTP network / FedNow). Settles in seconds and, like wires, is hard to claw back.

UK statement codes

• CPTCashpoint (ATM) withdrawalUK statement code for an ATM withdrawal.
• FPIFaster Payments inUK instant transfer arriving into your account.
• FPOFaster Payments outUK instant transfer leaving your account — the payee reference follows.
• BACBACS paymentUK three-day batch transfer — the rail behind salaries and many bill payments.
• BGCBank giro creditMoney paid into the account, historically over the counter — salary and cheque deposits show as BGC on some UK statements.
• DDDirect debitA company is pulling money under a direct debit mandate. Your bank's mandate list names them all — and the direct debit guarantee makes unauthorised ones recoverable.
• SOStanding orderA fixed payment YOU set up — you control it entirely at the bank, unlike a direct debit.

Cheques

• CHQChequeA cheque cleared. The cheque number usually follows; your bank can image the cheque if the payee is a mystery.
• CHECKCheck paymentUS spelling of the same — cleared cheque, number alongside.

Fees & bank-generated entries

• NSFNon-sufficient fundsThe bank DECLINED a payment for lack of funds — and may have charged for it. Pairs with a returned-item entry.
• ODOverdraftThe bank covered a payment beyond your balance; an overdraft fee usually sits next to it. The running balance column shows which payment tipped it.
• INTInterestInterest paid to you (credit) or charged to you (debit). Direction matters — check the amount's sign.
• CHGCharge / feeA bank-generated fee. The wording after it says which; our fee guide covers what each is and which are refundable on request.
• ADJAdjustmentThe bank corrected something — a reversed error, a dispute credit. If you didn't expect one, ask the bank what it corrects.
• REVReversalA transaction undone — refunds, failed payments, dispute outcomes. Match it to the original by amount.