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Originally posted by AdamsWJ:
I am curious whether anything is being done to expand the payee field? The prior character limit results in cropping (or not permitting the entry of) the full payee name in some instances. This produces an unprofessional looking check when the last few letters have to be added in pen on the check.

[This message has been edited by John (edited 07-24-2000).]

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There aren't any plans to expand the payee name to more characters. However, there is an even better solution to this question, already in the program.

For example, say you want to write a check to The Association of Property Appraisers. This is much too long to fit into the payee name, which is limited to 26 characters.

So an easy solution is to do the following:

1. Create (or edit, as necessary) the payee name as an abbreviation you'll recognize. Something like A P A. (Note the spacing: you need to put a space between the letters. If you type APA it will be changed to Apa, which looks strange!)

   This is the name that will appear on all your reports, such as Transactions by Payee, Transactions Register, and so on.

2. Now for the checks. You want the entire name to print on the check, not the abbreviation. Go to Transactions | Info for Name and Address. Select the Payee A P A. Change the "Name" (the first field on the screen) to read The Association of Property Appraisers. You're limited to 40 characters in this field, so there is plenty of room.

   The full name will print on the check, so you won't need to write anything in pen!

3. The Payee Name (A P A) and the Address (The Association of Property Appraisers) print separately on the check. This looks strange if the Payee Name and the Address are different. Fix this as follows: Go to the check setup screen. Get there by selecting Transactions | Print Checks. Select the account you're printing checks for. If no check comes up, select Sample. Once the check or sample check appears, select Change Settings. Change the settings for "Payee name" to be the same as the settings for "Address-1st line." Now the payee name (A P A, in this example) doesn't print at all and the full name does.
   

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Originally posted by fni_support:
There aren't any plans to expand the payee name to more characters. However, there is an even better solution to this question, already in the program. ...

The Payee Name (A P A) and the Address (The Association of Property Appraisers) print separately on the check. This looks strange if the Payee Name and the Address are different. Fix this as follows: Go to the check setup screen. Get there by selecting Transactions | Print Checks. Select the account you're printing checks for. If no check comes up, select Sample. Once the check or sample check appears, select Change Settings. Change the settings for "Payee name" to be the same as the settings for "Address-1st line." Now the payee name (A P A, in this example) doesn't print at all and the full name does.

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This really is not an answer to the problem. Now you have a check with no name in the payee field (granted the name and address are several lines below). An unintended recipient could then write or type their own name in the payee field and negotiate the check. I also tried to reverse the process by inserting a 0(zero) in the payee field and assigning the old payee settings to the Address-1st line. This looks good in the payee field but the address would not be visible in most standard window envelopes.

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Originally posted by AdamsWJ:
This really is not an answer to the problem.

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Let’s review. The original question was:

quote:

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Originally posted by AdamsWJ:
I am curious whether anything is being done to expand the payee field? The prior character limit results in cropping (or not permitting the entry of) the full payee name in some instances. This produces an unprofessional looking check when the last few letters have to be added in pen on the check.

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It is true that the payee field is limited to 26 characters. Making the payee field longer is being considered as a program enhancement. You may wish to indicate your wish to see this change implemented by posting it as a suggestion on the Recommended FN Program Enhancements Forum.

The response to this question suggested a way to print checks with a payee name longer than 26 characters, and in so doing did pose a valid solution. It is unnecessary to add any part of the payee name in pen.

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Originally posted by AdamsWJ:
Now you have a check with no name in the payee field (granted the name and address are several lines below). An unintended recipient could then write or type their own name in the payee field and negotiate the check..

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I’ve never heard of this happening, although it is possible.

Keep in mind that Financial Navigator supports many different check formats. Some have “Pay to the order of” high on the check, nearer the payor name. This would seem to encourage the kind of fraud suggested in the question. Other formats have “Pay to the order of” lower on the check, right next to the payee address, which would seem to discourage this problem.

If this situation concerns you, consider using checks such as Deluxe #81013, which has “Pay to the order of” right next to the address field.

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Originally posted by AdamsWJ:
I also tried to reverse the process by inserting a 0(zero) in the payee field and assigning the old payee settings to the Address-1st line. This looks good in the payee field but the address would not be visible in most standard window envelopes.

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This would work very well as long as you’re not using window envelopes.