To write a check, you fill out information about who you wish to pay, give the check to the payee, and your bank finally electronically transfers money to the recipient's account. 1st Personal checks are drawn from personal accounts and are not issued by corporations, governments, or other organizations. 2nd Personal checks must be written on a personal checking account and can only be used to pay for items that have been purchased with cash or credit card. All checks should include the account number of the drawing account, the amount needed, the date, and the name of the person writing the check. If a check is incomplete or has been altered in any way, it cannot be paid. When you sign your name on a check, you are authorizing anyone who finds the check to cash it. If you do not want someone to have access to your checkbook, then do not sign your name on the check. Checks can also be written against a deposit account at a bank or savings and loan association. These checks are called "itemized" checks because they list each item being paid with its own number. The "check writer" fills out an application for an account at the bank or savings and loan association and gives it to someone who knows where to send them - the bank officer in charge of depositors' checks. When the application is approved, the officer provides the check writer with a special code book.