RESPONSIBILITIES   OF   HAVING   A CHECKING ACCOUNT.—You have responsibili- ties when you have a checking account. You must maintain your check register with exactness to avoid checks being returned for insufficient funds. This is known as bouncing a check. For example, if you write out a check and there isn’t enough money in your account to cover the check, the check will bounce. The check will usually be sent back to the payee with “Non-sufficient Funds” stamped on it. The bank and the payee will charge you more money because you wrote a bad check. To avoid bouncing a check, always balance your checkbook. Here are some tips you can use to avoid bouncing a check. 1.   Each month, your bank will send a statement of your  transactions.  Check  it  for  accuracy  and balance your checkbook each month (fig. 17-4). 2.   Always  record  transactions  in  your  check register as they occur. 3.   Be aware of any service fees and deduct them promptly. It’s unlawful to knowingly write a check when you don’t have the necessary funds in your account. In fact, UCMJ, article 123a, prohibits this action. Also, it’s a federal  offense  in  civilian  courts.  Further,  writing checks  without  having  sufficient  funds  can  do  the following: Ruin your credit history Destroy your reputation Land you in jail (civilian and/or military) Convenience Cards Convenience  cards  are  available  from  your financial institution. These cards make it easier to get money and to make purchases from your bank account. Two  types  of  convenience  cards  are  covered  in  this section. If you have a convenience card, you will have a personal identification number (PIN). A PIN is a secret access  code  that  you  must  provide  to  use  your convenience card. Do not tell your PIN to anyone. WARNING Do  not  make  purchases  that  will  exceed  the balance in your checking account. One thing to remember, make sure that you update your check register each time you make a transaction using a convenience card. Updating your check register will  prevent  you  from  overdrawing  your  checking account. Finally,  a  record  of  all  your  convenience  card transactions  will  appear  on  your  monthly  bank statement. AUTOMATIC  TELLER  MACHINE  (ATM) CARDS.—ATM  cards  are  available  from  your financial institution. ATM cards can be used to make deposits  or  withdrawals;  to  make  inquiries  about account  balances;  or  to  move  money  among  your accounts. ATM cards can also be used 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. CHECK (DEBIT) CARDS.—You can use a debit card instead of writing a check. When used to pay for merchandise  or  services,  the  amount  is  automatically deducted from your checking account. You can use your 17-9 Student Notes: q 1.  Is there a minimum balance required? q 2.  Does the account pay interest? q 3.  Is there a monthly service fee? Are there other service charges? q 4.  Is there a limit on how many checks per month I can write? q 5.  What is the cost to order checks? q 6.  Are canceled checks returned or photocopied? q 7.  Is overdraft protection available?