Bank statement conversion isn't perfect. Understanding common errors helps you catch and fix them before they cause problems.

Why Errors Happen

Conversion errors occur due to:

OCR limitations - Character recognition mistakes
Layout variations - Unexpected statement formats
Data complexity - Multi-line entries, merged cells
Quality issues - Poor scans, low resolution

Even the best converters have edge cases.

Common Error Types

1. OCR Character Misreads

Similar-looking characters get confused:

Original	Misread As	Example
0 (zero)	O (letter)	$1,O00.00
1 (one)	l (lowercase L)	$l,234.56
1 (one)	I (uppercase i)	$I,234.56
5	S	$S00.00
8	B	$B00.00
$	S or 5	5100.00

Impact: Amounts become text, formulas break, totals wrong.

Detection: Sort by amount—text values sort differently than numbers.

Fix: Find and replace, or manual correction.

2. Decimal Point Shifts

The decimal gets misplaced:

Original	Error	Impact
$1,234.56	$123,456	100x too large
$1,234.56	$12.3456	100x too small
$1,234.56	$1234.56	Missing comma (might be OK)

Impact: Totals wildly incorrect.

Detection: Compare sum to statement total. Large discrepancy indicates decimal issues.

Fix: Identify affected transactions, correct decimal position.

3. Missing Transactions

Entire transactions don't appear:

Causes:

Page break in middle of transaction
Multi-line description not recognized
Unusual formatting skipped
Image or watermark covering data

Detection: Count rows and compare to original transaction count.

Fix: Manually add missing transactions or reprocess with different settings.

4. Merged Rows

Multiple transactions combined into one:

Original:
01/15  AMAZON       -$49.99
01/15  NETFLIX      -$15.99

Converted:
01/15  AMAZON NETFLIX  -$65.98

Impact: Loses transaction-level detail.

Detection: Row count lower than expected, amounts larger than typical.

Fix: Split manually or reprocess.

5. Split Rows

One transaction becomes multiple:

Original:
01/15  AMAZON MKTPL*2X9K7YT PURCHASE  -$49.99

Converted:
01/15  AMAZON MKTPL*2X9K7YT
       PURCHASE                        -$49.99

Impact: First row has no amount, second row has no date.

Detection: Rows with missing dates or amounts, row count higher than expected.

Fix: Merge rows or clean up incomplete entries.

6. Date Format Issues

Dates misinterpreted or malformed:

Original	Error	Cause
01/15/26	15/01/26	DD/MM vs MM/DD confusion
01/15/26	01/15/1926	Wrong century
Jan 15	Text, not date	Not recognized as date

Impact: Sorting fails, date filters don't work, formulas error.

Detection: Sort by date—wrong formats sort incorrectly.

Fix: Convert text to dates using Excel functions or find/replace.

7. Sign Errors (Debit/Credit)

Amounts have wrong positive/negative:

Transaction Type	Should Be	Error
Purchase	Negative	Positive
Deposit	Positive	Negative
Fee	Negative	Positive

Impact: Running balances wrong, totals inverted.

Detection: Running balance doesn't match statement.

Fix: Identify pattern (all debits wrong? all credits?) and apply correction.

8. Missing or Extra Columns

Column structure doesn't match expected:

Missing columns:

No balance column
Debit/Credit combined when should be separate

Extra columns:

Description split across multiple columns
Phantom empty columns

Detection: Column headers don't match data, data in wrong columns.

Fix: Reorganize columns, merge or split as needed.

Verification Checklist

After every conversion, verify:

Count Check

☐ Transaction count matches original ☐ No duplicate rows ☐ No missing rows

Total Check

☐ Sum of debits matches statement ☐ Sum of credits matches statement ☐ Net change matches statement

Balance Check

☐ Opening balance correct ☐ Closing balance correct ☐ Running balances track correctly

Spot Check

☐ First transaction correct ☐ Last transaction correct ☐ 3-5 random transactions correct

Prevention Strategies

Use Quality Source Documents

Download PDFs directly from bank (not scans of paper)
Ensure full pages (no cropping)
Avoid password-protected files if possible

Choose the Right Tool

Use bank statement-specific converters
Prefer tools with high accuracy claims
Test on sample before bulk processing

Verify Immediately

Check results before using data
Don't assume accuracy
Build verification into workflow

Fixing Errors Efficiently

Small Number of Errors

Fix manually in Excel:

Identify error
Correct value
Verify running balance

Pattern-Based Errors

Use find/replace:

Replace "O" with "0" in amount column
Fix date formats globally
Correct sign on all debits

Systematic Errors

Reprocess with different settings or tool:

Try different converter
Adjust OCR settings
Process pages separately

Summary

Common bank statement conversion errors include OCR misreads, decimal shifts, missing or merged transactions, and date format issues. Always verify conversions by checking transaction counts, totals, and balances against the original statement. Build verification into your workflow to catch errors before they propagate into accounting systems.

Common Errors in Bank Statement Conversion