Crossing of cheques

A crossed cheque is a cheque that has been marked to specify an instruction about the way it is to be redeemed. A common instruction is to specify that it must be deposited directly into an account with a bank and not immediately cashed by a bank over the counter. The format and wording varies between countries, but generally two parallel lines and/or the words 'Account Payee' or similar may be placed either vertically across the cheque or in the top left hand corner. By using crossed cheques, cheque writers can effectively protect the cheques they write from being stolen and cashed.