Title 27, Uniform Commercial Code

§490:3-115 Incomplete instrument. (a) "Incomplete instrument" means a signed writing, whether or not issued by the signer, the contents of which show at the time of signing that it is incomplete but that the signer intended it to be completed by the addition of words or numbers. …

§490:3-116 Joint and several liability; contribution. (a) Except as otherwise provided in the instrument, two or more persons who have the same liability on an instrument as makers, drawers, acceptors, indorsers who indorse as joint payees, or anomalous indorsers are jointly and …

§490:3-117 Other agreements affecting instrument. Subject to applicable law regarding exclusion of proof of contemporaneous or previous agreements, the obligation of a party to an instrument to pay the instrument may be modified, supplemented, or nullified by a separate agreement…

§490:3-118 Statute of limitations. (a) Except as provided in subsection (e), an action to enforce the obligation of a party to pay a note payable at a definite time must be commenced within six years after the due date or dates stated in the note or, if a due date is accelerated,…

§490:3-119 Notice of right to defend action. In an action for breach of an obligation for which a third person is answerable over pursuant to this article or article 4, the defendant may give the third person written notice of the litigation, and the person notified may then give…

PART 2. NEGOTIATION, TRANSFER, AND INDORSEMENT §490:3-201 Negotiation. (a) "Negotiation" means a transfer of possession, whether voluntary or involuntary, of an instrument by a person other than the issuer to a person who thereby becomes its holder. (b) Except for negotiation by …

§490:3-202 Negotiation subject to rescission. (a) Negotiation is effective even if obtained (i) from an infant, a corporation exceeding its powers, or a person without capacity, (ii) by fraud, duress, or mistake, or (iii) in breach of duty or as part of an illegal transaction. (b…

§490:3-203 Transfer of instrument; rights acquired by transfer. (a) An instrument is transferred when it is delivered by a person other than its issuer for the purpose of giving to the person receiving delivery the right to enforce the instrument. (b) Transfer of an instrument, w…

§490:3-204 Indorsement. (a) "Indorsement" means a signature, other than that of a signer as maker, drawer, or acceptor, that alone or accompanied by other words is made on an instrument for the purpose of (i) negotiating the instrument, (ii) restricting payment of the instrument,…

§490:3-205 Special indorsement; blank indorsement; anomalous indorsement. (a) If an indorsement is made by the holder of an instrument, whether payable to an identified person or payable to bearer, and the indorsement identifies a person to whom it makes the instrument payable, i…

§490:3-206 Restrictive indorsement. (a) An indorsement limiting payment to a particular person or otherwise prohibiting further transfer or negotiation of the instrument is not effective to prevent further transfer or negotiation of the instrument. (b) An indorsement stating a co…

§490:3-207 Reacquisition. Reacquisition of an instrument occurs if it is transferred to a former holder, by negotiation or otherwise. A former holder who reacquires the instrument may cancel indorsements made after the reacquirer first became a holder of the instrument. If the ca…

PART 3. ENFORCEMENT OF INSTRUMENTS §490:3-301 Person entitled to enforce instrument. "Person entitled to enforce" an instrument means (i) the holder of the instrument, (ii) a nonholder in possession of the instrument who has the rights of a holder, or (iii) a person not in posses…

§490:3-302 Holder in due course. (a) Subject to subsection (c) and section 490:3-106(d), "holder in due course" means the holder of an instrument if: (1) The instrument when issued or negotiated to the holder does not bear such apparent evidence of forgery or alteration or is not…

§490:3-303 Value and consideration. (a) An instrument is issued or transferred for value if: (1) The instrument is issued or transferred for a promise of performance, to the extent the promise has been performed; (2) The transferee acquires a security interest or other lien in th…

§490:3-304 Overdue instrument. (a) An instrument payable on demand becomes overdue at the earliest of the following times: (1) On the day after the day demand for payment is duly made; (2) If the instrument is a check, ninety days after its date; or (3) If the instrument is not a…

§490:3-305 Defenses and claims in recoupment. (a) Except as stated in subsection (b), the right to enforce the obligation of a party to pay the instrument is subject to the following: (1) A defense of the obligor based on (i) infancy of the obligor to the extent it is a defense t…

§490:3-306 Claims to an instrument. A person taking an instrument, other than a person having rights of a holder in due course, is subject to a claim of a property or possessory right in the instrument or its proceeds, including a claim to rescind a negotiation and to recover the…

§490:3-307 Notice of breach of fiduciary duty. (a) In this section: (1) "Fiduciary" means an agent, trustee, partner, corporate officer or director, or other representative owing a fiduciary duty with respect to an instrument. (2) "Represented person" means the principal, benefic…

§490:3-308 Proof of signatures and status as holder in due course. (a) In an action with respect to an instrument, the authenticity of, and authority to make, each signature on the instrument is admitted unless specifically denied in the pleadings. If the validity of a signature …

§490:3-309 Enforcement of lost, destroyed, or stolen instrument. (a) A person not in possession of an instrument is entitled to enforce the instrument if (i) the person was in rightful possession of the instrument and entitled to enforce it when loss of possession occurred, (ii) …

§490:3-310 Effect of instrument on obligation for which taken. (a) Unless otherwise agreed, if a certified check, cashier's check, or teller's check is taken for an obligation, the obligation is discharged to the same extent discharge would result if an amount of money equal to t…

§490:3-311 Accord and satisfaction by use of instrument. (a) If a person against whom a claim is asserted proves that (i) that person in good faith tendered an instrument to the claimant as full satisfaction of the claim, (ii) the amount of the claim was unliquidated or subject t…

§490:3-312 Lost, destroyed, or stolen cashier's check, teller's check, or certified check. (a) In this section: (1) "Check" means a cashier's check, teller's check, or certified check. (2) "Claimant" means a person who claims the right to receive the amount of a cashier's check, …

PART 4. LIABILITY OF PARTIES §490:3-401 Signature necessary for liability on instrument. A person shall not be liable on an instrument unless (i) the person signed the instrument, or (ii) the person is represented by an agent or representative who signed the instrument and the si…

§490:3-402 Signature by representative. (a) If a person acting, or purporting to act, as a representative signs an instrument by signing either the name of the represented person or the name of the signer, the represented person is bound by the signature to the same extent the re…

§490:3-403 Unauthorized signature. (a) Unless otherwise provided in this article or article 4, an unauthorized signature is ineffective except as the signature of the unauthorized signer in favor of a person who in good faith pays the instrument or takes it for value. An unauthor…

§490:3-404 Impostors; fictitious payees. (a) If an impostor, by use of the mails or otherwise, induces the issuer of an instrument to issue the instrument to the impostor, or to a person acting in concert with the impostor, by impersonating the payee of the instrument or a person…

§490:3-405 Employer responsibility for fraudulent indorsement by employee. (a) In this section: (1) "Employee" includes an independent contractor and employee of an independent contractor retained by the employer. (2) "Fraudulent indorsement" means (i) in the case of an instrumen…

§490:3-406 Negligence contributing to forged signature or alteration of instrument. (a) A person whose failure to exercise ordinary care substantially contributes to an alteration of an instrument or to the making of a forged signature on an instrument is precluded from asserting…

§490:3-407 Alteration. (a) "Alteration" means (i) an unauthorized change in an instrument that purports to modify in any respect the obligation of a party, or (ii) an unauthorized addition of words or numbers or other change to an incomplete instrument relating to the obligation …

§490:3-408 Drawee not liable on unaccepted draft. A check or other draft does not of itself operate as an assignment of funds in the hands of the drawee available for its payment, and the drawee is not liable on the instrument until the drawee accepts it. [L 1991, c 118, pt of §1…

§490:3-409 Acceptance of draft; certified check. (a) "Acceptance" means the drawee's signed agreement to pay a draft as presented. It must be written on the draft and may consist of the drawee's signature alone. Acceptance may be made at any time and becomes effective when notifi…

§490:3-410 Acceptance varying draft. (a) If the terms of a drawee's acceptance vary from the terms of the draft as presented, the holder may refuse the acceptance and treat the draft as dishonored. In that case, the drawee may cancel the acceptance. (b) The terms of a draft are n…

§490:3-411 Refusal to pay cashier's checks, teller's checks, and certified checks. (a) In this section, "obligated bank" means the acceptor of a certified check or the issuer of a cashier's check or teller's check bought from the issuer. (b) If the obligated bank wrongfully (i) r…

§490:3-412 Obligation of issuer of note or cashier's check. The issuer of a note or cashier's check or other draft drawn on the drawer is obliged to pay the instrument (i) according to its terms at the time it was issued or, if not issued, at the time it first came into possessio…

§490:3-413 Obligation of acceptor. (a) The acceptor of a draft is obliged to pay the draft (i) according to its terms at the time it was accepted, even though the acceptance states that the draft is payable "as originally drawn" or equivalent terms, (ii) if the acceptance varies …

§490:3-414 Obligation of drawer. (a) This section does not apply to cashier's checks or other drafts drawn on the drawer. (b) If an unaccepted draft is dishonored, the drawer is obliged to pay the draft (i) according to its terms at the time it was issued or, if not issued, at th…

§490:3-415 Obligation of indorser. (a) Subject to subsections (b), (c), and (d) and to section 490:3-419(d), if an instrument is dishonored, an indorser is obliged to pay the amount due on the instrument (i) according to the terms of the instrument at the time it was indorsed, or…

§490:3-416 Transfer warranties. (a) A person who transfers an instrument for consideration warrants to the transferee and, if the transfer is by indorsement, to any subsequent transferee that: (1) The warrantor is a person entitled to enforce the instrument; (2) All signatures on…

§490:3-417 Presentment warranties. (a) If an unaccepted draft is presented to the drawee for payment or acceptance and the drawee pays or accepts the draft: (1) The person obtaining payment or acceptance, at the time of presentment; and (2) A previous transferor of the draft, at …

§490:3-418 Payment or acceptance by mistake. (a) Except as provided in subsection (c), if the drawee of a draft pays or accepts the draft and the drawee acted on the mistaken belief that (i) payment of the draft had not been stopped pursuant to section 490:4-403 or (ii) the signa…

§490:3-419 Instruments signed for accommodation. (a) If an instrument is issued for value given for the benefit of a party to the instrument ("accommodated party") and another party to the instrument ("accommodation party") signs the instrument for the purpose of incurring liabil…

§490:3-420 Conversion of instrument. (a) The law applicable to conversion of personal property applies to instruments. An instrument is also converted if it is taken by transfer, other than a negotiation, from a person not entitled to enforce the instrument or a bank makes or obt…

PART 5. DISHONOR §490:3-501 Presentment. (a) "Presentment" means a demand made by or on behalf of a person entitled to enforce an instrument (i) to pay the instrument made to the drawee or a party obliged to pay the instrument or, in the case of a note or accepted draft payable a…

§490:3-502 Dishonor. (a) Dishonor of a note is governed by the following rules: (1) If the note is payable on demand, the note is dishonored if presentment is duly made to the maker and the note is not paid on the day of presentment. (2) If the note is not payable on demand and i…

§490:3-503 Notice of dishonor. (a) The obligation of an indorser stated in section 490:3-415(a) and the obligation of a drawer stated in section 490:3-414(d) may not be enforced unless (i) the indorser or drawer is given notice of dishonor of the instrument complying with this se…

§490:3-504 Excused presentment and notice of dishonor. (a) Presentment for payment or acceptance of an instrument is excused if (i) the person entitled to present the instrument cannot with reasonable diligence make presentment, (ii) the maker or acceptor has repudiated an obliga…

§490:3-505 Evidence of dishonor. (a) The following are admissible as evidence and create a presumption of dishonor and of any notice of dishonor stated: (1) A document regular in form as provided in subsection (b) which purports to be a protest; (2) A purported stamp or writing o…

§490:3-506 Dishonored check; action for treble damages; procedures. (a) In any action against a person who makes any check, draft, or order for the payment of money that has been dishonored for lack of funds or credit to pay the check, draft, or order or because the maker has no …