endorse
To endorse (or indorsement ) is the writing of one’s name on part of an instrument as an authentication or transfer of an interest . Nowadays, the term endorsement is used to describe a writing anywhere on a negotiable instrument , contract , receipt , or other document requiring validation and authentication to signify that the endorser has received the document as presumably valid and authentic. Once a document has been endorsed, the rights and obligations in the instrument become valid or binding. Until the instrument is endorsed, the document remains unenforceable .
[Last reviewed in May of 2023 by the Wex Definitions Team ]
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