Remote Deposit Capture API: Programmatic Check Deposit for Mobile and Desktop

A remote deposit capture API lets you programmatically accept check deposits from mobile apps and desktop scanners through a single integration. Whether your users capture check images on a phone or through a dedicated desktop scanner, the API handles extraction, validation, duplicate detection, and fraud controls — so your application gets structured deposit data, not raw images to process yourself.

This guide covers how an RDC API works, what you can expect from the request-response cycle, and how a single API can serve both mobile (mRDC) and desktop scanner capture paths.

What a Remote Deposit Capture API Does

An RDC API accepts check images and deposit metadata, then returns structured, validated deposit data. The core operations are:

1. Submit deposit — send front/back check images plus metadata (account, amount, endorsement)
2. Validate and extract — the API runs image quality checks, MICR reading, OCR field extraction, amount cross-validation, duplicate detection, and fraud scoring
3. Return structured result — validated data (payee, amount, date, cheque number, MICR line, account number, branch code) plus confidence scores, risk signals, and decision status

The same API endpoint typically serves both mobile and desktop scanner channels. The capture method differs; the validation logic stays consistent.

Mobile RDC via API (mRDC)

Mobile RDC uses the phone's camera for image capture. The API flow is:

1. User frames the check in the app camera view
2. App performs on-device image correction (skew, glare, crop)
3. Front and back images are sent to the API with deposit metadata
4. API extracts fields, validates, checks duplicates, runs fraud scoring
5. API returns structured JSON with extraction results and decision

Mobile RDC trades magnetic MICR read-head reliability for convenience. The API compensates with stricter image quality gates, optical MICR, and cross-channel duplicate checks.

Desktop Scanner RDC via API

Desktop scanner RDC uses dedicated hardware with magnetic MICR read heads and batch feeders. The API flow is:

1. Operator loads checks into the scanner batch feeder
2. Scanner SDK captures front/back images and MICR data
3. Images and MICR data are sent to the API (per-item or per-batch)
4. API cross-validates magnetic MICR against optical MICR, runs OCR/ICR extraction, duplicate checks, and fraud scoring
5. API returns structured JSON per item with extraction results and decision metadata

Desktop RDC adds the fraud signal of magnetic-vs-optical MICR comparison — if they disagree, the MICR line may have been altered.

Common API Endpoint Structure

Response Example (Simplified)

{
  "deposit_id": "dep_9x7k3m2n",
  "status": "accepted",
  "extraction": {
    "micr": { "routing": "021000021", "account": "12345678", "check_number": "1042", "confidence": 0.999 },
    "amount": { "courtesy": 1250.00, "legal": "One thousand two hundred fifty", "match": true, "confidence": 0.995 },
    "payee": { "text": "Jane Smith", "confidence": 0.972 },
    "date": { "value": "2026-06-15", "confidence": 0.998 }
  },
  "validations": {
    "duplicate_check": "pass",
    "date_policy": "pass",
    "amount_match": "pass"
  },
  "fraud_score": 0.02
}

One API for Both Channels

The key design principle: a single RDC API should serve both mobile and desktop scanner capture paths. The same validation engine, duplicate detection, fraud scoring, and workflow controls apply regardless of capture channel. This prevents siloed deposit logic where a check rejected on mobile could still pass through the desktop scanner path.

Chequedb's REST API supports both forms with the same endpoints. The capture method is passed as metadata; the validation engine adapts — magnetic MICR comparison for scanner items, stricter image quality gates for mobile items — but the deposit logic stays identical.

See Also

• Remote Deposit Capture (RDC) Platform — full platform overview
• Cheque API Documentation — API reference and integration guide
• Scanner SDK RDC — desktop scanner integration