I used to work offshore in Long Beach which hosted an official Gran Prix with F1 type racers on city streets once a year. Like you, most of us would cash our checks at the bank the check was drawn on, which was a couple of blocks from the yard we kept rigs stacked at. I found myself with no ID and they were getting ready to send me away. I found my ID from Malibu Gran Ptix and gave it to the clerk. Malibu Gran Prix was a national chain that let you ride in their rotary engine go carts. It was no functional ID. She gave me the cash and started telling me sweetly how she had never met a real Gran Prix driver. I said it is nothing special. Took the cash and left. This is where this story gets informative. I was later visiting my dad who was a stock broker with a degree in finance. I told him the story about the ID. He looked at me and said that if a person goes into a bank to cash a check, and they are in the issuing bank AND it is the issuing branch bank, they are compelled to cash it even if you have no ID. Why? Because after the 1st depression congess passed a law making it illegal for issuing bank and branch to refuse the check. Refusing to cash checks was rampant at banks in that time. He added that if a teller ever refused a check in that situation, that i should demand they call the bank manager, if they refused tell them my next act would be to call the FED and have them ckose the bank for refusing to cash.. That was in the 80's. My dad has passed and I do not know if the laws have changed. But I can say, I was out of state one time, lost wallet and got money wored to me and they gave a check. I did what my dad said and got my money.