Routing Number On Checks
The routing number system handles the 28,000 financial institutions that are eligible to maintain an account at a Federal Reserve Bank. To determine what the numbers mean, let's look first at the fraction code (top, right side of check). The fraction form of the routing number is shown as a multi-digit fraction with a hyphenated numerator (on the top) and a three or four digit denominator (on the bottom).
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Example Fraction Code: 79-57/759
79 - ABA Prefix
57 - ABA Institution Identifier
759 - Federal Reserve Routing Symbol
The ABA Prefix tells you the geographical location of the bank:
1 New York, NY
2 Chicago, IL
3 Philadelphia, PA
4 St. Louis, MO
5 Boston, MA
6 Cleveland, OH
7 Baltimore, MD
8 Pittsburgh, PA
9 Detroit, MI
10 Buffalo, NY
11 San Francisco, CA
12 Milwaukee, WI
13 Cincinnati, OH
14 New Orleans, LA
15 Washington D.C.
16 Los Angeles, CA
17 Minneapolis, MN
18 Kansas City, MO
19 Seattle, WA
20 Indianapolis, IN
21 Louisville, KY
22 St. Paul, MN
23 Denver, CO
24 Portland, OR
25 Columbus, OH
26 Memphis, TN
27 Omaha, NE
28 Spokane, WA
29 Albany, NY
30 San Antonio, TX
31 Salt Lake City, UT
32 Dallas, TX
33 Des Moines, IA
34 Tacoma, WA
35 Houston, TX
36 St. Joseph, MO
37 Fort Worth, TX
38 Savannah, GA
39 Oklahoma City, OK
40 Wichita, KS
41 Sioux City, IA
42 Pueblo, CO
43 Lincoln, NE
44 Topeka, KS
45 Dubuque, IA
46 Galveston, TX
47 Cedar Rapids, IA
48 Waco, TX
49 Muskogee, OK
50 New York
51 Connecticut
52 Maine
53 Massachusetts
54 New Hampshire
55 New Jersey
56 Ohio
57 Rhode Island
58 Vermont
59 American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
60 Pennsylvania
61 Alabama
62 Delaware
63 Florida
64 Georgia
65 Maryland
66 North Carolina
67 South Carolina
68 Virginia
69 West Virginia
70 Illinois
71 Indiana
72 Iowa
73 Kentucky
74 Michigan
75 Minnesota
76 Nebraska
77 North Dakota
78 South Dakota
79 Wisconsin
80 Missouri
81 Arkansas
83 Kansas
84 Louisiana
85 Mississippi
86 Oklahoma
87 Tennessee
88 Texas
89 Alaska
90 California
91 Arizona
92 Idaho
93 Montana
94 Nevada
95 New Mexico
96 Oregon
97 Utah
98 Washington
99 Wyoming
100 n/a
101 Assigned
Looking at the list above, we can see that 79 in the fraction code example indicates this bank is in Wisconsin. The 57 indicates exactly which financial institution in Wisconsin.
There are twelve Federal Reserve districts and the 7 in 759 indicates the Chicago district.
01 - Boston
02 - New York
03 - Philadelphia
04 - Cleveland
05 - Richmond
06 - Atlanta
07 - Chicago
08 - St. Louis
09 - Minneapolis
10 - Kansas City
11 - Dallas
12 - San Francisco
Most of the time the zero does not appear in the fractional form of the number. But it must appear in the MICR number at the bottom of the check.
The fraction gives us almost all we need for that nine digit MICR number on the bottom of the check. The first and second digit designate the Fed district (07). The third digit represents the particular Reserve bank or branch office serving the drawee institution (075). The fourth digit was originally an indicator of credit availability according to a coding system that has fallen into disuse, but is still required and assigned by ABA to make up the total of nine in the routing transit number (0759). The next four digits are the numbers of the actual financial institution. That would be the 57 from the top of the fraction. In order to meet the 9 digit format, it has to be four numbers long - so two zeros are added in front of the 57. (07590057)
Which leaves us with the ninth number. This check digit is a mathematical calculation that is used to verify the accuracy of the routing number that has been determined thus far. The formula is fairly simple. You would multiply the existing eight numbers (03100117) as follows:
Federal Reserve ABA Institution
Routing Symbol Identifier
Multiply 0 7 5 9 0 0 5 7
by x 3 7 1 3 7 1 3 7
0 49 5 27 0 0 15 49 (sum) = 145 mod 10 = 5
The modulo is the remainder of a division operation. 145 / 10 = 14.5 where the remainder is 5 and thus the 9th digit of the MICR number - 075900575
Note: Until 1985, 20 was added to the Federal Reserve District number of all thrift institutions (credit unions or savings and loans). So, 01 becomes 21 and 12 becomes 32 in some cases.
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