Third stimulus check: when will Wells Fargo, Chase Bank & Bank of America release it?

After President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan into law on Thursday, the IRS wasted no time in starting to disburse the first round of $1,400 stimulus checks to some of the 160 million Americans entitled to the payment.

However some of the nation’s biggest banks say they will not be processing the payments this weekend, instead announcing they will begin to do so on the 17 March.

While the official payment date for the $1,400 stimulus checks has been established as 17 March, the likes of Wells Fargo and Chase have faced heavy criticism for not releasing those payments already being deposited by the IRS this weekend.

Stimulus check payments: Chase and Wells Fargo issue statements

"We expect that electronic stimulus payments will be available in eligible Chase accounts as soon as Wednesday, March 17, 2021," Chase wrote on its website.

Meanwhile, Wells Fargo tweeted: "Customers who are eligible to receive direct deposit of their stimulus payment may expect it as soon as March 17, 2021,” emphasizing on its website that it would process the payments in line with effective date provided by the U.S. Treasury of 17 March.

To our understanding, Bank of America has not issued a statement regarding when they will process the payments, but it appears that many Bank of America customers on Twitter are complaining about their payments being withheld.

Some digital banks, like Chime, meanwhile, have said they authorized their clients to have instant access to their payments. On Friday, Chime issued a so-called "stimmy alert" on Twitter saying it had already distributed $600 million-worth of payments to its customers.

Why are Chase and Wells Fargo withholding payments?

The banks are in their right to hold back on releasing the payments until the official 17 March payment date outlined by the US Treasury. But why have these big banks not made an effort to start disbursing those payments that have already been transferred by the IRS – as has been the case with digital banks like Chime?

According to the Huffington Post, part of the reason is because Chase and Wells Fargo are set to gain from delaying the processing of payments at the expense of their customers who are eagerly awaiting the money.

"Sluggish check processing only works to banks' advantage because of the increased 'float' created by a massive influx of government cash. They can juggle the delays to boost outgoing loans to other customers, and to boost their profits," the HuffPost noted.

How to track the payment status of your stimulus check

The IRS Track My Payment Tool is now available for this latest third round of stimulus payments, allowing you to check the status of your $1,400 check. Up until early Sunday morning, the Tool was only available for tracking the status of the previous $1,200 and $600 payments, but it has now been updated by the IRS to give information on these latest payments approved under the American Rescue Plan.

"Get My Payment updates once per day, usually overnight...Previous payment information is no longer available in Get My Payment," the IRS says. "The first batch of payments will be sent by direct deposit, which some recipients started receiving as early as March 12. Additional batches of payments will be sent in the coming weeks by direct deposit and through the mail as a check or debit card."

Eligibility for $1,400 stimulus checks

Here is a breakdown of those who are eligible for the $1,400 stimulus check: