Unsigned Cheque from Buyer - Anyone else had this?

Mark7799

[QUOTE=smcicr

Anyone know what the in's and out's are if the cheque is dodgy when it arrives - is there a way i can get it checked by the bank - get it singled out for attention by mentioning my concerns to the counter staff at the bank? what if the bank clears it and then someone discovers they've had a chequebook nicked and used - does it come back to me or is it the banks fault for clearing it?? {sigh}[/QUOTE]

You can ask at your bank for what is called 'special presentation' or 'direct clearance'. Expect to pay about £15/20 for this service - your call if it's worth it for the vale of the cheque. The cheque then bypasses the normal clearing system and sent direct to the drawer's bank who will check all aspects - technicalities, signatures, available funds etc and confirm payment/clearance. This does rely on the efficiency of the postal service as well...

soolin

Mark7799 wrote:

You can ask at your bank for what is called 'special presentation' or 'direct clearance'. Expect to pay about £15/20 for this service - your call if it's worth it for the vale of the cheque. The cheque then bypasses the normal clearing system and sent direct to the drawer's bank who will check all aspects - technicalities, signatures, available funds etc and confirm payment/clearance. This does rely on the efficiency of the postal service as well...

My bank (HSBC) and also the bank I worked for until recently no longer offer this service so I don't know if that means no banks currently do this. It was rarely worth the money anyway as the actual process was called 'if in your hands and in order' so they would merely confirm that funds were availble on that day to meet the cheque not that the cheque itself was OK.

Soo

Mark7799

Soo,

What I'm referring to is a different service where the cheque is physically sent to the drawee bank. Not sure about HSBC but NatWest & Barclays still make reference to it on their websites.