# Ripped Cheque - Can I Lodge it?



## paulocon (30 Apr 2008)

Hi,

Note sure where to post this one - my wife was doing some housekeeping and accidentally ripped a cheque (thought the envelope was empty) into three bits.. I have retrieved the sections but will the bank take the cheque?


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## jackswift (30 Apr 2008)

paulocon said:


> Hi,
> 
> Note sure where to post this one - my wife was doing some housekeeping and accidentally ripped a cheque (thought the envelope was empty) into three bits.. I have retrieved the sections but will the bank take the cheque?


 Did I see this question on boards.ie?


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## Mpsox (1 May 2008)

Sellotape it back together and providing the sortcode and account number on the bottom are complete, it shouldn't be a problem. There's far worse comes across a bank counter, you should see the state of some cheques farmers bring in

If part of the details are missing, the bank may want to send it on a collection basis, which may take longer for it to clear and for which there may be a charge


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## Blinder (1 May 2008)

Mpsox said:


> Sellotape it back together and providing the sortcode and account number on the bottom are complete, it shouldn't be a problem. There's far worse comes across a bank counter, you should see the state of some cheques farmers bring in



So how does a person invalidate a cheque? I always thought ripping it up would work ( not that I have to write too many cheques )


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## Bubbly Scot (1 May 2008)

If I need to invalidate a cheque I write "cancelled" across it,draw some lines through it and initial across the top. If it's a personal cheque I rip it up, if it's a business cheque though I don't cos I need to keep these.


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## Welfarite (1 May 2008)

I remember hearing once, years ago, that a cheque was merely a written promise from one person to pay the other monies. Basically, a person wrote a "promise" on a piece of paper for the other person to present to his bank which authorised them to pay the person the monies stated. In theory, a cheque could be written on toilet paper if necessary, once it contained all the necessary details!


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## Mpsox (1 May 2008)

perfectly legal to write a cheque on whatever you like, only trouble is there is nothing to stop the banks levying special charges if you do so.


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## Welfarite (1 May 2008)

Mpsox said:


> perfectly legal to write a cheque on whatever you like, only trouble is there is nothing to stop the banks levying special charges if you do so.


They think of everything!


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## Towger (1 May 2008)

Welfarite said:


> They think of everything!



I know of a company in the gaeltacht who got their cheques printed in Irish, it was all cleared through the banks. The only problem was that when they went to use them the banks machines could not handle Eire written above the government stamp! I never heard the final outcome of that little problem, but I am sure that a few phone calls in the correct government departments go the banks to update their equipment!


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## Gulliver (1 May 2008)

The decision of whether to honour the cheque is not a decision for your bank - it is a decision for the payers bank.  The legal situation is very clear - a mutilated cheque is not a valid cheque.  The payers bank has no way of knowing whether the cheque was accidentally mutilated, or was deliberately mutilated by the payer as a means of cancelling the cheque.  If the payers bank decides to pay it, it does so at its own risk.  Personally, as a former bank manager, I would not pay it.

Paulocon, you should go back to the drawer of the cheque and ask him to re-issue it.


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## paulocon (1 May 2008)

Just to let you know that they took the cheque - sellotaped it back together (had all 4 pieces). Think once the numbers at the bottom and the amount/signatures are clearly legible, it's ok..

(edit) Gulliver, just saw your post - interesting one.. The damage to the cheque wasn't too bad  (probably doesn't matter) and with a bit of sellotape, all data was clearly visible. However, I appreciate what you are saying - it's for a relatively small amount so I'll wait and see what happens.. Thanks for the advice!


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