Since then cheque usage has fallen, being partly replaced by electronic payment systems. By the second half of the 20th century, as cheque processing became automated, billions of cheques were issued annually these volumes peaked in or around the early 1990s. The drawer writes the various details including the monetary amount, date, and a payee on the cheque, and signs it, ordering their bank, known as the drawee, to pay that person or company the amount of money stated.Īlthough forms of cheques have been in use since ancient times and at least since the 9th century, it was during the 20th century that cheques became a highly popular non- cash method for making payments and the usage of cheques peaked.

The person writing the cheque, known as the drawer, has a transaction banking account (often called a current, cheque, chequing, checking, or share draft account) where the money is held. Checkbook has won the National Press Club’s prestigious First Place Award for Excellence in Consumer Journalism.A cheque, or check ( American English see spelling differences), is a document that orders a bank (or credit union) to pay a specific amount of money from a person's account to the person in whose name the cheque has been issued. Checkbook evaluates the quality and prices of local service companies and stores, such as auto repair shops, plumbers, dentists, banks, and insurance companies.

Its evaluations at provides information to help consumers in five states select the best health plan through government healthcare exchanges.Ĭonsumers’ Checkbook magazine and are published in seven metro areas: the Boston, Chicago, Delaware Valley, Puget Sound, San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, Twin Cities, and Washington, DC, areas. It provides its evaluations of physicians and hospitals on its websites, , and. Checkbook created the first-ever website to report surgeon-specific outcomes in terms of deaths and complications for a wide range of high-risk surgeries. It has for 40 years been an innovator in providing consumers information to help them select high-quality services, including physicians and hospitals. Email: Checkbook is an independent, nonprofit consumer organization.

Consumers checkbook