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HomeCommercial CodeDiv. 11Ch. 2§ 11204 Unauthorized Payment Order Refunds

§ 11204 Unauthorized Payment Order Refunds

Commercial Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
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§ 11204 Unauthorized Payment Order Refunds

This law requires a bank to return money and pay interest if it processes a payment order that wasn't authorized or can't be enforced against the customer, unless the customer didn't act carefully.

Key Takeaways

  • •Banks must refund unauthorized or unenforceable payment orders.
  • •Interest is charged on the refunded amount from receipt to refund date.
  • •Customers lose interest if they don't promptly report unauthorized orders.

Example

A customer's bank mistakenly processes a payment order that the customer never approved, and the customer's account is debited for the amount.

The bank must give the customer back the full amount it took and also pay interest on that money from the day it received the payment until the day it returns the money, unless the customer failed to notice the unauthorized order within 90 days and act promptly.

How to Calculate

Interest = Refundable Amount × (Annual Interest Rate ÷ 365) × Number of Days

  1. Identify the refundable amount the bank must return.
  2. Count the number of days from when the bank received the payment to when the refund is issued.
  3. Determine the applicable annual interest rate (as set by state law).
  4. Divide the annual rate by 365 to get the daily rate.
  5. Multiply the refundable amount by the daily rate and then by the number of days to get the interest owed.

Bank must refund $5,000 and holds the money for 45 days before refunding.

Result: $36.90 interest

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 11204 Unauthorized Payment Order Refunds

(a) If a receiving bank accepts a payment order issued in the name of its customer as sender which is (i) not authorized and not effective as the order of the customer under Section 11202, or (ii) not enforceable, in whole or in part, against the customer under Section 11203, the bank shall refund any payment of the payment order received from the customer to the extent the bank is not entitled to enforce payment and shall pay interest on the refundable amount calculated from the date the bank received payment to the date of the refund. However, the customer is not entitled to interest from the bank on the amount to be refunded if the customer fails to exercise ordinary care to determine that the order was not authorized by the customer and to notify the bank of the relevant facts within a reasonable time not exceeding 90 days after the date the customer received notification from the bank that the order was accepted or that the customer’s account was debited with respect to the order. The bank is not entitled to any recovery from the customer on account of a failure by the customer to give notification as stated in this section. (b) Reasonable time under subdivision (a) may be fixed by agreement as stated in subdivision (b) of Section 1302, but the obligation of a receiving bank to refund payment as stated in subdivision (a) may not otherwise be varied by agreement. (Amended by Stats. 2006, Ch. 254, Sec. 75. Effective January 1, 2007.)

Last verified: January 10, 2026

Key Terms

agreementobligationnotification

Related Statutes

  • § 11202 Payment Order Authorization Rules
  • § 1203 Lease Vs Security Interest
  • § 10204 Lease Contract Formation Rules
  • § 10219 Risk Of Loss Transfer
  • § 11208 Bank Identification Number Reliance

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Commercial Code. Section 11204.
View Official Source