Any item which is not outstanding must be marked as cleared. The bank reconciliation doesn't look at items after they're cleared, it only calculates outstanding items. If an entry appears that doesn't belong and isn't outstanding, mark it as cleared. Journal entries listed in the bank reconciliation must match what the bank is showing for service charges, automatic payments, miscellaneous credits, bank card discounts, etc. Compare the amounts on the statement and last month's outstanding list with the items in the bank reconciliation window.
Banks can make mistakes and enter the wrong amount.
Print the audit trail for your checking account for the whole year and match it up to your bank statements.