CHAPTER XII

SIGNATURE EXPERTS THE SAFETY OF THE MODERN BANK

A New Departure in Banks--Examining All Signatures a Sure
Preventive Against Forgery--The "Filling-in" Process--How One Forger
Operated--Marvelous Accuracy of a Paying Teller--How He Attained
Perfection--How Signature Clerks Work--A Common Dodge of Forgers--Post
Dated Checks--A System That Prevents Forged and Raised Checks--Not a
Forged or Raised Check Paid in Years.


[The following article has been kindly contributed by the manager of
one of the largest English banks, located in London.]

One of the most trying positions in our business, is that of signature
expert--the man who has to examine daily every draft that comes in
through the clearing house and vouch for its genuineness. Our bank,
one of the largest in London, employs six clerks who do nothing all
day long but examine checks, and when I tell you that it is no
uncommon thing for 10,000 drafts to come in during a single day you
will understand that the job is not altogether the sinecure it is
popularly supposed to be.

These clerks have not only to scrutinize the signatures both of drawer
and drawee, but also examine the "filling-in," the latter being just
as important, perhaps more so from a monetary point of view, as the