[KotOD]

Is a Check Written on a Paper Napkin Negotiable?
Question: A customer wrote a check using a paper napkin and we don't know whether to pay it or not - what's required to make a check legal?

Answer by John Burnett:
Many banks now have provisions in their deposit contracts allowing the bank to set standards on the form of documents used for the account (this generally refers to deposit tickets and checks). But if the bank has no such provision, or hasn't set the standard for customers, all that is required is that the check be payable to order or bearer, on demand, in an amount that can be determined from the face of the check, that it be signed by the drawer and that the check identify the account from which it is to be paid. In theory, it could be scrawled on the side of a watermelon.

That works if the check is presented directly to the paying bank for payment. The paper napkin or watermelon would not be acceptable for clearing between banks.

SOURCE: Bankersonline.com