Pelican National Bank v. Provident Bank

The issue in this case is whether a check made payable to multiple payees, listed in stacked formation on its face, without any grammatical connector or punctuation, is ambiguous as to whether it is negotiable only jointly, thus, requiring the indorsement of all of the named payees, or alternatively, requiring the indorsement of any one of the named payees. The Circuit Court for Baltimore City held that a check so drawn is ambiguous and, accordingly, entered summary judgment in favor of Provident Bank of Maryland, the appellee, and against Pelican National Bank, the appellant. We shall affirm…