How long does a bank have to investigate a dispute?

Credit card disputes — the FCBA timeline

Credit cards fall under the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA), enforced through Regulation Z.

• You have 60 days from the statement date to send a written dispute (a "billing-error notice") to the address the issuer designates for billing inquiries.
• The bank has 30 days to acknowledge your letter in writing.
• The bank has two complete billing cycles — and no more than 90 days — from receiving your notice to finish the investigation.
• While the dispute is pending, the bank cannot try to collect the disputed amount, report it as delinquent, or threaten your credit over it.

Debit card and ACH disputes — the Regulation E timeline

Debit cards, ACH transfers, P2P payments routed through your bank, and ATM withdrawals fall under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) and Regulation E. The deadlines here are tighter and the rules are stronger.

• You have 60 days from the statement showing the unauthorized transfer to report it.
• The bank has 10 business days to investigate.
• If they need more time, they have to credit your account provisionally while they keep investigating — up to 45 days total (90 for certain transactions, like new accounts or point-of-sale errors).
• If they conclude the transfer was unauthorized, they have 3 business days to finalize the credit.
• If they deny, they owe you a written explanation and copies of the documents they relied on, on request.

What "investigate" actually requires

"We asked the merchant, the merchant said it was a real charge" is not an investigation. Courts have repeatedly said the bank has to do its own reasonable review of the evidence — not just rubber-stamp the merchant's answer. A bank that takes the merchant's word for it and closes the case is exposed to liability under both the FCBA and EFTA.

What happens when the bank misses a deadline

• FCBA: If the bank doesn't comply with the FCBA's procedures, it forfeits up to $50 of the disputed amount — and more importantly, you may have a federal claim with statutory damages and attorney's fees.
• EFTA: Missing the 10-day deadline without issuing provisional credit is its own violation. So is denying without a real investigation, or refusing to send you the supporting documents.
• Either statute lets you recover actual damages, statutory damages up to $1,000, and attorney's fees and costs — paid by the bank if you win.

What to do if your deadline is approaching

• Put the dispute in writing today — even if you also called. Phone calls don't preserve your strongest rights.
• Send it to the right address (billing-inquiries address for credit; the bank's stated dispute address for debit). The customer-service line is not it.
• Keep proof of mailing.
• Calendar the deadlines yourself — don't trust the bank to track them.

If the bank blew the deadline, denied without investigating, or kept billing or reporting the disputed amount, you may have a real claim. We don't charge to take a look.