The first four digits of a routing number are called the routing symbol, and they are the part that does real work: they tell the clearing system where to send the item. The remaining five are the institution and the check digit. Reading 053904483 in those two pieces rather than as nine anonymous digits makes it a good deal more legible, and the arithmetic at the end is quick.
The routing symbol, 0539
The opening pair is 05, the fifth Federal Reserve district, Richmond, which covers the mid Atlantic and part of the south east. The next pair, 39, identifies the processing arrangement within that district. Together those four digits are the routing symbol, the part of the number that historically told a sorting operation where an item was headed. A leading zero here means an ordinary commercial bank rather than a thrift or credit union, which in districts one to nine would carry a leading 2.
The institution block and the check digit
After the routing symbol come four digits identifying the institution within that arrangement, here 0448, and then a single check digit, 3. The institution block is a sequence with no internal meaning, so nothing can be inferred from its shape. The check digit is the only self validating part of the whole number, and it is what allows a payment system to reject a mistyped routing number at the point of entry instead of sending an item somewhere it should not go.
The arithmetic
Weight the digits three, seven, one, three, seven, one, three, seven, one and sum. Three times zero plus nine plus four is thirty nine. Seven times five plus zero plus eight is ninety one. Three plus four plus three is ten. Thirty nine plus ninety one plus ten is one hundred and forty, which divides by ten, so 053904483 is well formed. That means the digits are self consistent, which rules out most transcription errors but says nothing about the institution.
Getting to the institution honestly
The register mapping routing numbers to institutions is a licensed commercial product. This index does not republish it, and a reader is better served by the two routes that are free and authoritative: ask the party who gave you the number which bank it is and confirm on that bank's own routing number page, or ask your own bank to confirm the destination before you send. For a payment replacing details you already held, telephone the payee on an old number first.
Questions people ask about routing number 053904483
What is the routing symbol?
The first four digits. They identify the Federal Reserve district and the processing arrangement within it.
Is routing number 053904483 well formed?
Yes. The weighted checksum comes to one hundred and forty, which divides by ten.
Which district is 05?
The fifth Federal Reserve district, Richmond. It covers the mid Atlantic and part of the south east, and is not a single state.
Why does the leading zero matter?
In districts one to nine, a leading 2 marks a thrift or credit union. A leading zero therefore indicates an ordinary commercial bank routing number.