Skip to content

Legal Amount versus Numbers

Answered by: 

Question: 
When there is a check with amounts differing, I have been taught that the written amount is the legal tender. My question is: Can we write the legal amount above in red? Would this be considered altering? If there are any answers to this, please direct me to the appropriate reg.
Answer: 

Annotating the check with a correct amount in figures that conforms to the legal amount written in words is not an alteration. It's a clarification, perhaps, but it does not change the legal amount of the check.

However, changing the legal amount (in words) to conform to the courtesy amount (in numbers) ought to be considered an alteration, especially if it raises the legal amount.

First published on BankersOnline.com 2/09/04

First published on 02/09/2004

Filed under: 
Filed under operations as: 

Search Topics