Close the books with confidence every month

Match the bank's nostro accounts (accounts held at other banks) against the statements you've received. You'll also tie the Fed account to the Federal Reserve statement. Chase down every outstanding item - don't leave anything unexplained. Cash accounts don't round; they reconcile to the penny. If there's a variance, it's a problem that needs fixing now, not later.

Tie your loan system totals to the GL loan accounts, then tie deposit system totals to the GL deposit liability accounts. If you spot a variance, dig in - don't move on until you know why it's there. Getting your sub-ledger to match the GL is proof your systems aren't out of sync and that posting errors haven't slipped through.

Go through every suspense and clearing account. In normal operations, these should clear out daily - so anything sitting here is already a flag. You'll need to investigate and clear any item that's been lingering over 30 days. Don't ignore old suspense items; they're often a sign of processing failures or, worse, losses that haven't surfaced yet.

Put together the reconciliation summary for management review, get the right sign-offs, and file everything according to your retention schedule. If there are any open issues or variances you couldn't resolve, flag them now - don't bury them in the package. Examiners look closely at your reconciliations, so clean, well-documented work here matters.