The U.S. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System announced a final rule amending the liability provisions of Subpart C of Regulation CC to address instances where there is a dispute between banks as to whether a check has been altered or is a forgery, and the original check is not available for inspection.  The final rule creates a rebuttable presumption of alteration (as that term is used in the UCC) with respect to disputes that arise between banks regarding substitute or electronic checks.  The presumption is rebuttable either by proving by a preponderance of the evidence that the substitute or electronic check is forged (i.e., derives from an original check that was issued with an unauthorized signature of the drawer) or does not contain an alteration.  The presumption of alteration does not apply if a copy of the original check is available for inspection by all parties or where one bank sent the original check to the other bank, even if the check was subsequently truncated and destroyed.  The final rule will take effect on January 1, 2019.

View full text of the final rule.