# Bank deposit question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 21, 2004, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-deposit-question/270433 "2004-10-21T16:54:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-deposit-question/270433/21 "2004-10-22T22:46:43Z")
Simple. Give her power of attorney specific to the deposit of your checks and nothing else. Power of attorney needs to be notarized. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2004, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-deposit-question/270433/22 "2004-10-22T23:09:54Z")
Thanks for the input, folks. What I did was write FOR DEPOSIT ONLY and her account number on the check, and I deposited it in an ATM. Guess we’ll know Monday if that plan was good. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-deposit-question/270433/23 "2004-10-23T04:17:38Z")
Egad! Yes, she gave me her ATM card and her PIN - I guess she trusts me, huh (the typo I generated - I guess she trysts me - does not hold true)? ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-deposit-question/270433/24 "2004-10-23T15:38:17Z")
> [@](#): > > Simple. Give her power of attorney specific to the deposit of your checks and nothing else. Power of attorney needs to be notarized. Nobody needs power of attorney to deposit “Susan’s” check into “Susan’s” account. I’ve done it at least a thousand times. Nobody needs to sign anything - neither the depositer nor Susan. Just fill out the deposit slip and deposit it into the person’s account. There will not be a problem. No point in doing a whole bunch of work that is completely unnecessary. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-deposit-question/270433/25 "2004-10-23T22:33:09Z")
I never sign the back of any check deposited into my account. I always put For Deposit Only and the account number. If you sign the back of it, and you lose it, someone can deposit that money into their account, because you endorsed it. ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-deposit-question/270433/26 "2004-10-25T14:43:59Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I never sign the back of any check deposited into my account. I always put For Deposit Only and the account number. > > If you sign the back of it, and you lose it, someone can deposit that money into their account, because you endorsed it. You really shouldn’t be carrying around indorsed checks anway. Once you indorse a check it is bearer paper. Like cash, anyone who picks it up, owns it. If you have written For Deposit Only Account No. 12345678 (this is called a restrictive indorsement), you are protected, because the check can then only be deposited into the account identified, but that is more work. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-deposit-question/270433/27 "2004-10-25T14:48:28Z")
> [@Gfactor](#): > > Is it a good idea to do it? That depends on how close of a friend this is. You may wind up being liable on the check under certain circumstances. Does that make you a holder in due course? ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-deposit-question/270433/28 "2004-10-25T15:01:49Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Does that make you a holder in due course? No. One good reason for this conclusion is that you would not have given value for the instrument. [http://www2.law.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/foliocgi.exe/ucc3/query=\*/doc/{t89}](http://www2.law.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/foliocgi.exe/ucc3/query=*/doc/%7Bt89%7D)? ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-deposit-question/270433/29 "2004-10-25T15:48:47Z")
> [@Gfactor](#): > > No. One good reason for this conclusion is that you would not have given value for the instrument. > > [http://www2.law.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/foliocgi.exe/ucc3/query=\*/doc/{t89}](http://www2.law.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/foliocgi.exe/ucc3/query=*/doc/%7Bt89%7D)? In fact, you would not even be a holder of the instrument because you did not get it with an indorsement . . . [http://www2.law.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/foliocgi.exe/ucc3/query=holder/doc/{t70}](http://www2.law.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/foliocgi.exe/ucc3/query=holder/doc/%7Bt70%7D)? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bank-deposit-question/270433.md?page=1)