Banks are required to follow government Regulation CC (reg CC). There are many rules to reg cc...some have to do with how long your account has been open...so I will just give you the rules if you have had your account open for more than 30 days...
If the bank you bank with is LOCAL to the bank the check is drawn on (this isn't geographical it is if they use the same Fed Reserve branch) then your bank can put a 3 business day hold on the check and they are required to release $100 to you right away.
If the bank you bank with is NON LOCAL to the bank the check is drawn on (again this isn't geographical it is not the sameFed Reserve branch your bank uses) then you bank can put a 5 to 7 businesss day hold on the check and they are required to release $100 to you right away.
Like I said there are many different variations of this, but those are the standards, check out the variations on the website if you want more info:
http://federalreserve.gov/Pubs/regcc...
They NEVER hold ANY check. They are legally allowed to hold the FUNDS for up to 3 days without giving notice. If the have reason to believe the check will be returned, they can inform you in writing of when the funds are expected to be released. If I recall, they have up to 30 days after giving such notice.
3 days i would check with your bank
Every bank is different. The best way to find out is to call them!
usually 3 days..... ask them.
