oh, unless there is an 'r' in the month... then it's back to that top secret stuff i mentioned earlier...

It used to be - years ago. I remember that you could ask your bank for crossed or uncrossed cheques. The uncrossed cheques were fully negotiable. If someone gave you an uncrossed cheque, payable to you, you could sign on the back "pay to J Smith" and J Smith could deposit it in his bank account or negotiate it to someone else. If you just signed the back it became payable to the bearer just as in Canada.

If you wanted to make the cheque payable ONLY to the payee on the front you put parallel lines across the front of the cheque and wrote & Co between them. These days I think all personal bank cheques are printed with the & Co. marks.

I have just opened my own law firm and as I wanted to keep overheads low as I didn`t know what my receipts would be like I didn`t want to employ anyone.

So I find myself paying in cheques most days.

I have never been asked to sign the back of any cheques I am paying in. The cheques are payable to my firm, not to me personally.

Sounds like the OP`s teller is a jobsworth or numpty, I can`t decide which

ah, business cheques. We stamp those 'for deposit only' and write the bank account number on (that is, if your overheads don't extend to a stamp with that info on that saves us the bother. As they are paid to the firm, they can't be negotiated by your signature anyway - they aren't allowed to be cashed, so signature irrelevant.

<whispers> are you older than me? I still write 'only' after the amount in words though - I don't know anyone else who does that any more.

Blimey, I do hate banking with a passion.

I'm 20 and the only 10 cheques I have ever written in my entire life I always end with "only". I do hate cheques though, what's wrong with electronic transfer methods?!

Probably the thing I'll like least in Canada...yep, cheques...

I was able to afford said stamp.

But, if a signature is required, surely it's required, the fact that they are business cheques shouldn't make a difference, or to fraudsters not target businesses.

The whole thing appears to be too capricious for my liking.

and mine.

did I mention how much I hate banking?

I used to right "only" in the UK but I think the equivalent in Canada is "even"

At least that's what the, now infamous, cheques I pay in have written on them

Reflective of the mindset? Only: thats all you're getting! Even: No more, no less

I'm often tempted to put "and not a penny more, you bastard". Such cheques are made payable to the Receiver General or Minister of Revenue of Quebec.