Is it legal for me to add information to a personal check written to me? I received a check where the written amount was omitted, and added the information in front of the teller, but he refused to accept it. He claims I altered the check even though it was for the exact amount shown on it.
There are two things wrong with what the teller told you. First, a check doesn't have to have both an amount in figures and an amount in words in order to be completely negotiable. One amount without the other is sufficient under the law; the other is included by convention as a tool to make it more difficult to alter the amount. For an example of a check written with only an amount in figures, take a look at a check issued by the U.S. Treasury.
Secondly, your completion of the check by adding the amount in words is not an alteration. An alteration under the law is an unauthorized change in the check that changes the obligation of a party on the check. If you had changed the amount or the payee, that would be an alteration. In this case, you merely completed the check and your completion would be authorized because it didn't change the amount.
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There are two things wrong with what the teller told you. First, a check doesn't have to have both an amount in figures and an amount in words in order to be completely negotiable. One amount without the other is sufficient under the law; the other is included by convention as a tool to make it more difficult to alter the amount. For an example of a check written with only an amount in figures, take a look at a check issued by the U.S. Treasury.