We pay in on average around 400 USD cheques into our La Caixa account. The value is shown in our account immediately but is actually witheld for 20 days before being released . For Canadian cheques the holding period is 40 days.
Until January this year, regardless of the value of the cheques or the number, we paid a flat commission of 12 euros per transaction. After January the bank wanted 12 Euros per cheque; given that some of the cheques are only 30USD this converts to 21.58€ (todays rate) if the bamk takes 12€ this leaves us with 9€ so the bank gets more than we do!
We protested this with the bank and after a great deal of email to-ing and fro-ing between our branch and head off ice in Barcelona our manager negotiated a new rate of 4€ per cheque. Still not good but a damn sight better than 12€.
He explained that whereas cheques are still widely used in the US over here their use has practically stopped and each cheque has to be manually handled. Given that the banks are looking for as much cash as possible, this manual handling charge has gone up.
Its just a point, but at La Caixa the managers have a bit of leeway in the length of time that a cheque is witheld. Whilst the new commission rate was being negotiaited our manager held onto a dozen or so cheques without putting them into the system; when we agreed the new rate he credited them to our account and cleared them within 3 days...free of express clearance charges.
jj; I realise that compared with your situation ours is very small change. I know its bloody frustrating and I just hope everything works out well.
fb