If a deposit agreement does not require a bank to identify check payees or to include copies of checks in periodic account statements, then the bank is not required to do so. The Uniform Commercial Code provides a safe harbor for banks’ liability for forged and altered checks if their account statements include information that is “sufficient to allow the customer to identify the items paid.” Generally, providing the check number, amount, and date of payment is considered sufficient. 810 ILCS 5/4-406(a).
If a bank does not include in periodic account statements the original checks (or images of the checks under the Check 21 Act), it must maintain the checks (or “legible copies” of the checks) for seven years and provide them to customers on request. 810 ILCS 5/4-406(b).