Basic Checking

An overdraft occurs when you do not have enough money in your checking account to cover a transaction, but we pay it anyway. Ardent Credit Union (Ardent) can cover your overdrafts in two different ways:

We have standard overdraft practices that come with your account called Ardent Courtesy Pay coverage.

We also offer overdraft protection plans, such as a link to a savings account or line of credit, which may be less expensive than our standard overdraft practices. Contact us to learn more about these options.

Ardent Courtesy Pay adds a safety net to your personal checking account. If you don’t have enough money in your account to cover a transaction, we may cover the transaction and overdrawn balance up to an approved limit. Ardent Courtesy Pay eliminates the embarrassment and expense of returned checks, and also protects your credit rating.

If you overdraw your account by checks, ACH electronic payments or Point-of-Sale Debit Card transactions, Ardent Courtesy Pay may cover your transaction, even though you do not have enough money in your account. If you use Ardent Courtesy Pay, your account will be negative and you will be charged an Ardent Courtesy Pay fee. However, you will not incur any merchant fees. We will cap the total amount of overdraft fees charged to 6 per day.

If you have established overdraft protection to cover a negative balance through an automatic transfer from a savings account or a personal line of credit, the credit union will access funds from these sources before using Ardent Courtesy Pay.

We will mail you a letter to notify you immediately any time your account is overdrawn. You should make every attempt to bring your account to a positive balance within 24 hours. If you are not able to do so, you will receive a letter from us informing you of the situation and your options. If, after a period of time your account has not been brought to a positive balance, we will have no option but to close your account and take other steps to recover the funds. If you have special circumstances or concerns, please call us. We want to serve you.

You should make every attempt to bring your account to a positive balance within 24 hours. If you are not able to do so, you will receive a letter from us informing you of the situation and your options. If, after a period of time your account has not been brought to a positive balance, we will have no option but to close your account and take other steps to recover the funds. If you have special circumstances or concerns, please call us. We want to serve you.

As a service to members in good standing and to help you avoid the fees that may be charged by third parties for "bad" checks, we may, at our sole discretion, approve your reasonable overdrafts up to a dollar amount (inclusive of fees). A fee will be charged for every non-sufficient fund (NSF) item regardless of whether we pay it or return it.

You should know that we are not obligated to cover any item presented for payment if your account does not contain sufficient collected and/or available funds. Furthermore, service charges assessed against a check or checks, or any other request for funds made upon your account, does not obligate us to pay said request for funds. Nor does it obligate us to provide prior written notice of our decision to refuse payment.

It is the obligation of the credit union to operate in accordance with all applicable safety and soundness standards. If you issue a check or make a transaction for funds exceeding what is available in your account, you are responsible to the credit union for the amount of any overdraft and applicable fees immediately, without notice or demand from the credit union, in accordance with the terms of your account.

If you have any questions, or would like to discuss more details of the Ardent Courtesy Pay program, please call us today at 1-800-806.9465.

As a service to members in good standing and to help you avoid the fees that may be charged by third parties for "bad" checks, we may, at our sole discretion, approve your reasonable overdrafts up to a dollar amount (inclusive of fees). A fee will be charged for every non-sufficient fund (NSF) item regardless of whether we pay it or return it.

You should know that we are not obligated to cover any item presented for payment if your account does not contain sufficient collected and/or available funds. Furthermore, service charges assessed against a check or checks, or any other request for funds made upon your account, does not obligate us to pay said request for funds. Nor does it obligate us to provide prior written notice of our decision to refuse payment.

It is the obligation of the credit union to operate in accordance with all applicable safety and soundness standards. If you issue a check or make a transaction for funds exceeding what is available in your account, you are responsible to the credit union for the amount of any overdraft and applicable fees immediately, without notice or demand from the credit union, in accordance with the terms of your account.

If you have any questions, or would like to discuss more details of the Ardent Courtesy Pay program, please call us today at 1-800-806.9465.