How do I transfer money to and from other financial institutions?

You can wire or transfer money via ACH from your Northern Trust banking deposit account to an account at another financial institution. You can also transfer money to your Northern Trust banking deposit account.

You must set up electronic transfer instructions to specify the accounts and type of transfers allowed. To do so, complete and mail the Request for Electronic Transfer Instructions form, available on the Account Services page.

We will notify you by phone and e-mail when these services are available. It will take approximately three days to set up your wire transfer service and approximately two weeks to set up your ACH service. During the two weeks for ACH setup, we send a $0.00 transaction to your account at the other financial institution in order to validate the information.

Once you have set up electronic transfer instructions, you can use the Transfer page to initiate wire or ACH transfers between the accounts specified in your instructions.

If submitted by 4 p.m. CST, a wire transfer will post the same day. An ACH may be dated two or more days in the future. You can also set up recurring ACH transfers, specifying the frequency (weekly, monthly, etc.) and the number of occurrences.

Notes:
  • At this time, wire transfers are available only for clients of The Northern Trust Company (Illinois) and Northern Trust Bank FSB with a banking deposit account. This service will be available to clients in other locations in the future.
  • ACH transfers are available for all clients with a Northern Trust banking deposit account.
  • Wire and ACH transfers are not yet available for trust check writing accounts.
  • There is no fee for wire transfers initiated using Private Passport. There is also no fee for ACH transfers.
  • You can only request transfers from an account at another institution to your Northern Trust account if the accounts have the same owner or joint owners.

Related FAQs
Is there a limit on the amount I can transfer?
When will an ACH transfer be debited from my account?
Where are my posted transactions listed?
How do I cancel a transfer?
How do I change a future or recurring transfer?
How do I check the status of a transfer?
Why would an ACH transfer be returned to my account?
How do weekends and holidays affect my transfer date?
 
Account Services
Transfer