The use of financial checks dates back to the 11th century, when a merchant in the city of Basra (present-day Iraq) sent written instructions to his bank, ordering the institution to make a payment ...

Sure, you may have written a check to pay your monthly rent or give a $50 gift to your niece. But do you understand what each part of a check means and its purpose? While paper checks are not ...

Technology has changed the way the world banks, but some traditional banking methods and instruments remain. Writing a check, for example, is still a viable payment method. Whether sending payment for ...

Although most consumers rely heavily on credit cards, debit cards and other digital payment methods, Americans still have to write checks occasionally. According to data from the Federal Reserve, ...

Paper checks may seem outdated these days, but they still play an important role in many financial transactions. Whether you’re setting up direct deposit, arranging a wire transfer or keeping records, ...

Your account number is located at the bottom of a check — it’s the second set of numbers, between the nine-digit routing number and the check number. The routing number comes first — it’s the ...

Portions of this article were drafted using an in-house natural language generation platform. The article was reviewed, fact-checked and edited by our editorial staff. If you haven’t written one in a ...