Blank cheque

Blank cheque

A blank cheque (blank check, carte blanche), in the literal sense, is a cheque that has no numerical value written in, but is already signed. In the figurative or metaphoric sense, it is used (especially in politics) to describe a situation in which an agreement had been made that is open-ended or vague, and therefore subject to abuse, or in which a party is willing to consider any expense in the pursuance of their goals.

Contents

Literal meaning

Cheque users are normally advised to specify the amount of the cheque before signing it. If created accidentally, a blank cheque can be extremely dangerous for its owner, because whoever obtains the cheque could write in any amount of money, and would be able to cash it (to the extent that the chequeing account contains such funds, also depending on the laws in the specific country).

One might give a blank cheque to a trusted agent for the payment of a debt where the writer of the cheque does not know the amount required, and it is not convenient or possible for the writer to enter the amount when it becomes known. In many cases, it is possible to annotate a cheque with a notional limit with a statement such as "amount not to exceed $1000". In theory, the bank should refuse to process a cheque in excess of the stated amount.

The formal American legal term for a blank cheque is an incomplete instrument – rather, a blank cheque is an example of an incomplete instrument, which more generally is any incomplete signed writing – and these are covered in the Uniform Commercial Code's Article 3, Section 115.[1] Filling in an amount into a blank cheque, without the authority of the signer, is an alteration (covered in Article 3, Section 407), and is legally equivalent to changing the numbers on a completed (non-blank) cheque, namely that the cheque writer is not liable for the cheque. However, the cheque writer has the burden of proving that the alteration was not authorized.[2]

Counter cheque

Blank cheque was also commonly used as a synonym for counter cheque. Before the Federal Reserve established regulations in 1967[3] requiring that cheques be MICR encoded in order to be handled by their clearing houses, it was fairly common for banks, especially in small towns, to issue cheque to customers which were not personalized other than the name of the bank.

Businesses would have pads of counter cheques which did not even have the bank specified on them - the customer had to not only fill in the value of the cheque, the date, and their signature, but also had to designate the bank on which funds were to be drawn.

Metaphoric meaning

The metaphor of the "blank cheque" is thus often used in politics. For example, in the United States, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution has been called a blank cheque as it gave the President, Lyndon B. Johnson, the power to "take all necessary measures" to prevent "aggression" in Southeast Asia. These powers were then used to escalate the Vietnam War. Many in the United States Congress protested, but were helpless to effect change, for the Tonkin resolution's terms were too subjective to enforce.

This term was also used to describe how the Kaiser of Germany (Kaiser Wilhelm II) told Austria-Hungary officials that they could deal with Serbia however they wanted after Serbian Nationalists assassinated the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. This immediately preceded World War I.

An example of the second metaphorical usage can be seen in a BBC News article, in which Gordon Brown, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, offered a 'blank cheque', and would thus '"spend what it takes" to tackle Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.'[4]

It may also be used in service fields. Customers may tell a company to treat the project as their own, which, in essence, is a carte blanche. (To the extent the service meets normal expectations.)

In literature

A renowned literary carte blanche (literally 'white card') was handed out by Cardinal Richelieu in Alexandre Dumas, père's The Three Musketeers:

Dec. 3, 1627 It is by my order and for the good of the state that the bearer of this has done what he has done. Richelieu

or in French:

3 décembre 1627. C'est par mon ordre et pour le bien de l'Etat que le porteur du présent a fait ce qu'il a fait. Richelieu.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle used the term carte blanche in several of his Sherlock Holmes stories.

A Scandal in Bohemia

"Your Majesty will, of course, stay in London for the present?” “Certainly. You will find me at the Langham under the name of the Count Von Kramm.” “Then I shall drop you a line to let you know how we progress.” “Pray do so. I shall be all anxiety.” “Then, as to money?” “You have carte blanche.” “Absolutely?” “I tell you that I would give one of the provinces of my kingdom to have that photograph.”

The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet

"I understand that you give me carte blanche to act for you, provided only that I get back the gems, and that you place no limit on the sum I may draw.” “I would give my fortune to have them back.”

Blank cheque company

In economics, the term blank cheque company can refer to a company in development that has no specific business plan yet. For a fuller discussion of blank cheque companies, see Special purpose acquisition company.

See also

References

  1. ^ § 3-115. INCOMPLETE INSTRUMENT.
  2. ^ Article 3, Section 115(d) – more precisely, "the burden is on . . . the person asserting the lack of authority."
  3. ^ History of the Dallas Federal Reserve
  4. ^ Brown offers war 'blank cheque' accessed 2008-05-29

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Look at other dictionaries:

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  • blank cheque — blank cheques (in AM, use blank check) 1) N COUNT If someone is given a blank cheque, they are given the authority to spend as much money as they need or want. [JOURNALISM] We are not prepared to write a blank cheque for companies that have run… …   English dictionary

  • blank cheque — BrE .blank check AmE n 1.) a cheque that has been signed, but has not had the amount written on it 2.) give sb a blank cheque BrE /check AmE to give someone permission to do whatever they think is necessary in a particular situation …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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  • blank cheque — ► NOUN 1) a cheque with the amount left for the payee to fill in. 2) an unlimited freedom of action …   English terms dictionary

  • blank cheque — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms blank cheque : singular blank cheque plural blank cheques 1) a cheque that has been signed but does not have an amount of money written on it, so that it can be exchanged for whatever amount is entered 2)… …   English dictionary

  • blank cheque —    If you give someone a blank cheque, you authorize them to do what they think is best in a difficult situation.     Tom was given a blank cheque and told to negotiate the best deal possible …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

  • blank cheque — BrE blank check AmE noun (C) 1 a cheque that has been signed, but has not had the amount written on it 2 give sb a blank cheque/check to give someone permission to do whatever they think is necessary in a particular situation …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • Blank cheque (disambiguation) — Blank cheque or blank check may refer to:* Blank cheque, a cheque with no numerical value * Blank Check (film), a 1994 film * Blank Check (game show), the short lived 1970s game show * Check Game, a pricing game from The Price is Right , formerly …   Wikipedia

  • blank cheque — noun a check that has been signed but with the amount payable left blank • Syn: ↑blank check • Hypernyms: ↑check, ↑bank check, ↑cheque • Member Holonyms: ↑checkbook, ↑chequebook …   Useful english dictionary

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