By crossing the top left corner you get the security of knowing that your cheque goes straight into the person's bank account. If you cross the top left hand side with 'Non Negotiable' the funds will only be available to that person you have named. This eliminates the risk of fraud and saves you the worry of your money falling into the wrong hands.

Lost or stolen cheques should be immediately reported to the Bank. A police report needs to be filed so that the police record can be presented to the payer or the Bank when it is requested.  If a blank cheque or cheque book is lost or stolen then a copy of the police report is required before a replacement can be issued.

Before issuing a cheque, be certain that signatures and/or the stamps on your cheque are identical to those that have been given to the Bank.  Also, you should be certain that all fields have been filled in correctly before presenting the cheque to the payee so that there is no possibility of payment delays.

In the electronic cheque settlement system every physical cheque bears important information printed on the strip of magnetic ink along the bottom called the 'clear band'.   The clear band zone holds information such as the account number, the bank, the branch identification codes and the payable amount.  The clear band is vital for electronic verification.