I found this very odd, so I sent a note via their super-secret account mail system (b.s. for short) and I got the following reply:

Generally, funds deposited in ATMs are not available for immediate withdrawal. However, the first $100 of the day's ATM deposits will usually be available for withdrawal (some exceptions may apply). Any funds that exceed $100 may be held depending on the amount of the item, type of item, and recent account history.

That's good. I knew that. That's Banking 101, but it did not answer my question. AT ALL.

I guess I was feeling a little peckish from the SquareSpace situation, so I told WAMU that.

This was the next reply:

On a case-by-case basis, there may also be times when funds are placed on hold. Automatic Hold Decisioning (AHD) is an automated process we use to analyze a your overall banking relationship to recommend whether a check deposited to your account warrants a hold, rather than immediate availability.

I guess that was Choice 2 on the canned answer list for "We don't have the answer, make her go away."

I think I can now die happy knowing that I've learned everything there is to learn about holding a check for a particular time based on a customer's banking relationship. And yet I still don't know why there was a two-business-day hold on my CASH deposit.

Admittedly, I use canned answers on rare occasion myself; primarily when setting up a contract and such, but I also address any specific needs or questions outside of the info that is the same for every new client.

Would it kill them to not use the canned answers and come up with an answer relevant to the customer's actual question?