Branch capture is the process of scanning all the checks received at a bank branch for electronic clearing. This is often done by collecting all checks received in a single large batch at the end of the day, or sometimes in separate batches at fixed points throughout the day. It should not be confused with teller capture, in which checks are immediately scanned at the teller window as part of the customer transaction.
Since it is usually done at a separate workstation away from the teller windows, branch capture is often referred to as branch back-counter capture or simply back-counter capture.
Because of the high number of documents being processed at once, branch capture uses scanners with the highest speeds and capacities.
In the past, these were often large, purpose-built devices such as the BranchXpress BX7200 pictured below. In recent years, the highest-speed scanners for the teller window have become fast enough that some banks use them as comparable substitutes. The gradual decrease in the total number of checks written over the years has also played a part in this shift. In the past, busy bank branches would commonly receive 3,000 or even 5,000 paper checks in a single day, but today the number of branches processing that high of a workload is considerably fewer, meaning regular-sized scanners are often practical to use.
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Branch capture scanners of the past were even bigger machines with extra-large capacities. The BranchXpress BX7200, pictured at left, could accept hundreds of checks at a time, and was one of the largest scanners we ever made until it was discontinued in 2018. It was more than twice the size of the SmartSource Professional pictured above. |
