I wrote a check for $89 but incorrectly wrote out the amount as "eight-hundred and ninety dollars." The bank paid it as $890. Shouldn't the bank have paid according to the numeric amount?
Legally, words overrule numbers.
According to state laws, if a check contains contradictory terms, words prevail over numbers. In the same way, handwritten terms prevail over printed or typewritten terms.
Last Reviewed: April 2021
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