What Are the Different Ways to Transfer Money between Banks?

There aren't a lot of different ways to transfer money between banks. In most cases, a person who wishes to accomplish this will have to wire money to do so. Businesses can, however, use automated clearing house (ACH) payments to withdraw or deposit money from one bank to another. This does transfer funds, but it isn't what most people mean by transferring money from one account to another. An individual can also transfer money between banks by using a check or by withdrawing cash from one bank account and physically taking it to the other account for deposit.

Unfortunately, there are few convenient ways to transfer money between banks. If you want to transfer money between two accounts at the same bank, you can usually do so in person, online, or by phone. To transfer money between two bank accounts at different institutions, however, you usually have to arrange a wire transfer instead. This will typically require you to travel to your bank and provide necessary information to move the funds to the other bank. You will likely have to pay a fee for a wire transfer as well.

To accomplish a wire transfer, you will typically need a variety of information specific to both bank accounts. For your own bank account, you will have to provide a representative of your bank with your name and account number. Usually, banks have wire transfer forms that are used to start the process. You may also have to present identification and pay your bank's wire transfer fee.

You will also have to provide information about the receiving bank in order to transfer money between banks via a wire transfer. Typically, you'll have to provide the name of the receiving bank, the account holder's name, the account number, and the bank's routing number. Once you've provided the necessary information to complete the transfer, the bank completes the process for you.

In addition to wire transfers, you can also transfer money between banks using ACH transactions, checks, and physical withdrawals and deposits of the money you need to move. Though these methods are not typically referred to as transfers, they do provide a way of moving money from a bank account at one institution to an account at another. ACH withdrawals and deposits are typically initiated by businesses, but anyone can write a check or physically withdraw and deposit money.