Category: Credit

Checks are negotiable instruments asking a bank to pay a specific amount of money from a specific account to a bearer or payee. The account is ideally in the depositor’s name with the bank. The depositor or check maker and the payee can be either natural persons or legal entities. A check must contain all the features to be considered valid. Check number, account number, MICR, date of issue, payee, amount of currency, and signature of drawer are the basic pre-requisites of a check. A check is usually valid for six months after the issue date unless indicated otherwise. However, the validity may vary in different countries.

Checks come in several types. In the U.S., checks are regulated by the Uniform Commercial Code, Article 3. Two very common types of checks are order checks and bearer checks. An order check is payable only to the named payee or his endorsee. It begins with “Pay to the order of”. A bearer check is payable to anyone who is in possession of the document. Such a check usually does not specify a payee and is payable to bearer or “To the order of cash”. This type of check is payable to someone who is not a person or legal entity. When checks are drawn from savings and loan association, they are called “negotiable order of withdrawal”. If checks are cashed from a credit union, they become share drafts.

Checks are used to pay wages also. Such instruments are referred to as payroll checks. A check sold by a post office or merchant such as a grocery for payment by a third party for a customer is called postal order or money order. If a check allows the person signing it to make an unconditional payment to someone as a result of paying the account holder for that privilege, it is referred to as a traveler’s check. Such a check can be replaced in case of theft or loss and are very popular with travelers.

A checking account is one of the basic services provided by the financial institutions. It allows individuals and businesses to deposit money and withdraw funds from account by check, electronic cards or ATM or transfer. Here the account holder can use checks in place of cash to pay debts.

Almost all banks offer their customers one or another form of a checking account service. Some may require a minimal initial deposit before establishing a new account, along with proof of identification and address; where as a student or other low-income applicant can opt for a no-frills checking account which does not charge fees for the use of personal checks and other services.

Checking account owners are responsible for keeping a regular track of their available funds, even as bank issue their accounting statements periodically. There are some banks that will protect checking account holders by making the proper payments and notifying the check writer that an overdraft has taken place.

There are different types of checking accounts like: basic checking, interest bearing, joint checking, express, lifeline, senior/student checking and money market. These accounts have their own ways of functioning. Basic checking account holder does not need to maintain a high balance where as interest bearing requires a minimum balance to open the account. Coming to the joint checking account it can be owned by two or more people. There are accounts that are designed for low-income consumers, senior citizens also like lifeline, senior checking accounts.

Other than different kinds of checking accounts there are benefits added to these accounts. Following are a note of these benefits. These checks provide a paper trail or written proof that you paid someone. Having these checks it can be put forth as proof for tax purposes and when you are paying a person or company by mail. It is safer than cash, cheaper than money orders, gives a lots of access options and there are no transaction limits.

Thus a checking account can be more than just a place to keep your money; it makes your financial life managing much simpler and easier.