Two different values written on a check

[debodun]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? NY

A person bought some items at a tag sale with a personal check, but made a mistake which I didn't catch. Will a bank cash a check with a different dollar amount written on the line from the one in the value box?

 

[sandyclaus]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? NY

A person bought some items at a tag sale with a personal check, but made a mistake which I didn't catch. Will a bank cash a check with a different dollar amount written on the line from the one in the value box?

It's possible; however, they may very well return the check to you and refuse to negotiate it.

Why not be proactive and just ask the maker to take back the original check and write you a new one? I suspect it may come to that anyway, and this way, you can be prepared for it.

 

[swalsh411]

I used to work for a major bank. We looked at the amount written in the numbers box and not the "Eighty One Dollars and 51/100" line. We would only examine the check as a whole if it came up on dispute. Your mileage may vary.

 

[justalayman]

the only other time I have noticed bank personnel paying attention to the written amount is if the numerals were not clearly legible.

 

[Sloop John D]

I also worked at a bank, but we only followed the amount that was spelled out. If the numbers in the box were different, we ignored it.

If you're depositing at an ATM, I believe most ATMs will now automatically read the numbers out of the box.

 

[justalayman]

I also worked at a bank, but we only followed the amount that was spelled out. If the numbers in the box were different, we ignored it.

If you're depositing at an ATM, I believe most ATMs will now automatically read the numbers out of the box.

I have watched the teller sit and enter the checks to be cleared while at my bank. I can say with absolute certainty they did not take enough time to have read the written (alphabetic) amount.


If anybody wants to find out what their bank uses, intentionally write a different amount in the two sections and see which is accepted as the am amount. I would bet on it being the numerical writing.

 

[Sloop John D]

I have watched the teller sit and enter the checks to be cleared while at my bank. I can say with absolute certainty they did not take enough time to have read the written (alphabetic) amount.

Tellers are trained to quickly review various parts of a check for error, including names, dates, and signatures, but also the amounts. That being said, tellers receive hundreds of checks a day, and while a few will slip by with mistakes, you'd be surprised at how many errors a teller can catch. Catching bad checks is part of their job. You can try slipping a teller a check with an error, and maybe it will get past him, but I definitely wouldn't guarantee it. I used to catch checks with mistakes in the amount all the time. Our bank's policy was to use the amount that was alphabetically spelled. As someone above already pointed out, their bank's policy was to use the numerical amount.

It sounds like the check will get deposited, but the amount that gets entered will probably depend on the bank's policies and whether or not the teller catches the mistake.