A collecting banker is one who collects the cheques and other negotiable instruments deposited by his customers and places the amount to the credit of the customers account. A collecting banker acts as an intermediary between the paying banker and his customer in collecting the proceeds of a cheque from the paying banker and crediting the same to the customer’s account.
The duties of a collecting banker towards his customers are as follows:
(a) Due care and Diligence in the collection of cheques: The collecting banker is bound to show due care and diligence in the collection of cheques presented to him. In case a cheque is entrusted with the banker for collection, he is expected to show it to the drawee banker within a reasonable time.
(b) Presentation of cheque for payment within reasonable time: The collecting banker should present the cheque of his customer to the drawee banker within a reasonable time. If the banker makes undue delay in presentation of cheque and the customer suffers a loss then the banker will be held responsible for the loss and shall be required to reimburse the loss.
(c) Remittance of proceeds to the customer: It is the duty of the collecting banker to inform his customer immediately about the collection of the cheques. When the proceeds are collected, the banker may debit his customer’s account in respect of his commission and credit the gross proceeds to the customers account.
(d) Serving Notice of Dishonour: When the cheque is dishonoured, the collecting banker is bound to give notice of the same to his customer within a reasonable time. If he fails to give such a notice, the collecting banker will be liable to the customer for any loss that the customer may have suffered on account of such failure.
