Montana Code 30-3-104. Negotiable instrument
30-3-104. Negotiable instrument. (1) “Negotiable instrument” means an unconditional promise or order to pay a fixed amount of money, with or without interest or other charges described in the promise or order, if it:
Terms Used In Montana Code 30-3-104
- Drawee: means a person ordered in a draft to make payment. See Montana Code 30-3-102
- Drawer: means a person that signs a draft as a person ordering payment. See Montana Code 30-3-102
- Order: means a written instruction to pay money signed by the person giving the instruction. See Montana Code 30-3-102
- Person: includes a corporation or other entity as well as a natural person. See Montana Code 1-1-201
- Promise: means a written undertaking to pay money signed by the person undertaking to pay. See Montana Code 30-3-102
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Montana Code 1-1-201
- Writing: includes printing. See Montana Code 1-1-203
(a)is payable to bearer or to order at the time it is issued or first comes into possession of a holder;
(b)is payable on demand or at a definite time; and
(c)does not state any other undertaking or instruction by the person promising or ordering payment to do any act in addition to the payment of money except that the promise or order may contain:
(i)an undertaking or power to give, maintain, or protect collateral to secure payment;
(ii)an authorization or power to the holder to confess judgment or realize on or dispose of collateral; or
(iii)a waiver of the benefit of any law intended for the advantage or protection of any obligor.
(2)”Instrument” means a negotiable instrument.
(3)An order that meets all of the requirements of subsection (1) except subsection (1)(a) and otherwise falls within the definition of “check” in subsection (6) is a negotiable instrument and a check.
(4)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (1), a promise or order other than a check is not an instrument if, at the time it is issued or first comes into possession of a holder, it contains a conspicuous statement, however expressed, indicating that the writing is not an instrument governed by this chapter.
(5)An instrument is a “note” if it is a promise and is a “draft” if it is an order. If an instrument falls within the definition of both note and draft, the person entitled to enforce the instrument may treat it as either.
(6)(a) “Check” means:
(i)a draft, other than a documentary draft, payable on demand and drawn on a bank; or
(ii)a cashier’s check or teller’s check.
(b)An instrument may be a check even though it is described on its face by another term, such as “money order”.
(7)”Cashier’s check” means a draft with respect to which the drawer and drawee are the same bank or branches of the same bank.
(8)”Teller’s check” means a draft drawn by a bank:
(a)on another bank; or
(b)payable at or through a bank.
(9)”Traveler’s check” means an instrument that:
(a)is payable on demand;
(b)is drawn on or payable at or through a bank;
(c)is designated by the term traveler’s check or by a substantially similar term; and
(d)requires, as a condition to payment, a countersignature by a person whose specimen signature appears on the instrument.
(10)”Certificate of deposit” means an instrument containing an acknowledgment by a bank that a sum of money has been received by the bank and a promise by the bank to repay the sum of money. A certificate of deposit is a note of the bank.