A newly launched bank information resource on the Internet, Routingcheck.com, offers a free database of bank routing transit numbers — the nine-digit code used by U.S. banks, that appears at the bottom left-hand side of a check, just before the account number.
"Routingcheck.com was created to allow access to critical financial information that is otherwise hard to find or difficult to read," says Stijn Norlesk, creator of the new site. "It's the one site that offers this information all in one place. We believe it is the best banking reference resource available online."
Routingcheck.com is synchronized daily with the American Bankers Association to provide current and accurate listing. In addition to routing numbers, the site also provides access databases of bank addresses and ATM locations. The site is optimized for use on a computer, but it can also be viewed on mobile devices.
"To have an easy to use and free bank routing number database can greatly benefit your payment processing, and therefore can optimize your business," says Stijn Norlesk. "And our databases of routing numbers, bank addresses, and ATM locations are just the beginning. We are working to become the most comprehensive and useful resource for this type of information on the Internet."
The routing transit number system was designed more than a century ago by the ABA, for use on negotiable instruments such as checks and money orders. The purpose of the number is to identify the financial institution on which the check or other instrument is drawn, allowing for more efficient sorting and processing.
The RTN system is also used by Federal Reserve Banks to process Fedwire funds transfers, and by the Automated Clearing House to process direct deposits, bill payments, and other automatic transfers of funds. It differs from the SWIFT code system, which is used primarily for international transactions.
For more on this topic, visit the transaction processing research center.
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