Why do you have to endorse a check if you’re depositing into your own account, but it doesn’t need to be endorsed if you’re depositing into someone else’s account?

Question

My bank is on the drive home from my boyfriend’s work, so sometimes I’ll ask him to deposit a check into my bank account for me and he’ll have no problems. I’ll also deposit a check into my landlord’s bank account and have no issues.

However, if I receive a check written to me and I myself try to deposit it, I need to endorse it by signing the back of the check. Why is that?

In: Economics

Answer 1

Endorsing a check is security in case it is lost. If it isn’t endorsed, then someone who finds it can just write “pay to the order of” on it and put it in their own account.

However, you can’t endorse a check for someone else, and when depositing for someone else, they should endorse the check themselves. [It is the safest for the payee to deposit their own check.](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://bethebudget.com/deposit-a-check-for-someone-else/%23:~:text%3DIn%2520short%252C%2520yes%252C%2520you%2520can,to%2520make%2520their%2520own%2520deposit.&ved=2ahUKEwjX1ZOZsYbuAhUswlkKHQJrBpAQFjABegQIAhAE&usg=AOvVaw2qJUpItI7kGZqraGt4wXCh)