Oklahoma Banks Explain Stimulus Check Distribution Process

Some Oklahomans have more money in the bank, after the IRS started distributing stimulus checks Tuesday night, but many people are asking why they haven’t received theirs yet.

The government set the effective date for the payments for January 4, but some banks, who are already handing the money out, said it all has to do with timing.

One person said she got her money and is already paying bills. Others said they are still waiting for their checks, or their check is shown as "pending" until Monday.

The inconsistency really has to do with the bank you are using and timing. Some banks are trying to get money out to customers by the end of the year. Other banks are waiting for the federal government to officially issue the money on Monday.

BancFirst said it will receive money from the U.S. Treasury on January 4th. However, BancFirst said it will update customer accounts with those payments as an available balance as of its end of daily processing on December 31st. Those funds will be available on Friday.

Arvest Bank said it is following federal guidelines and is waiting until January 1st or later to deposit the checks.

In a press release, the U.S. Treasury Department said that "anyone who received the first round of payments earlier this year but doesn't receive a payment via direct deposit will generally receive a check or, in some instances, a debit card. The payments made on checks and debit cards will end in January."

 If lawmakers increase the check amount, the extra funds will be sent as soon as possible. 

For those who have not received their checks and cannot pay rent by the 1st, the CDC has extended the moratorium for evictions to the end of January.

Eric Hallett with Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, Inc. said Congress has authorized $25 billion for rental assistance and utility assistance for people who have income at or below 80% of the area median income. He said people will likely access the money by dialing 211.

"It is expected that money will come quickly because the infrastructure for distribution is in place after the first round of stimulus money," said Hallett. 

For more information, you can find the IRS Stimulus Press Release here, information from Arvest Bank about their stimulus process here, and the CDC’s information about extending the eviction moratorium here.