§ 41-03-03 — (3-103) Definitions

1. In this chapter:
a. "Acceptor" means a drawee that has accepted a draft.
b. "Drawee" means a person ordered in a draft to make payment.
c. "Drawer" means a person who signs or is identified in a draft as a person
ordering payment.
d. Reserved.
e. "Maker" means a person who signs or is identified in a note as promisor of
payment.
f. "Order" means a written instruction to pay money signed by the person giving the
instruction. The instruction may be addressed to any person, including the person
giving the instruction, or to one or more persons jointly or in the alternative but not
in succession. An authorization to pay is not an order unless the person
authorized to pay is also instructed to pay.
g. "Ordinary care" in the case of a person engaged in business means observance
of reasonable commercial standards prevailing in the area in which that person is
located with respect to the business in which that person is engaged. In the case
of a bank that takes an instrument for processing for collection or payment by
automated means, reasonable commercial standards do not require the bank to
examine the instrument if the failure to examine does not violate the bank's
prescribed procedures and the bank's procedures do not vary unreasonably from
general banking usage not disapproved by this chapter or chapter 41-04.
h. "Party" means a party to an instrument.
i. "Promise" means a written undertaking to pay money signed by the person
undertaking to pay. An acknowledgment of an obligation by the obligor is not a
promise unless the obligor also undertakes to pay the obligation.
j. "Prove" with respect to a fact means to meet the burden of establishing the fact
(subdivision h of subsection 2 of section 41-01-09).
k. "Remitter" means a person who purchases an instrument from its issuer if the
instrument is payable to an identified person other than the purchaser.
2. Other definitions applying to this chapter and the sections in which they appear are:
a. "Acceptance". Section 41-03-46.
b. "Accommodated party". Section 41-03-56.
c. "Accommodation party". Section 41-03-56.
d. "Alteration". Section 41-03-44.
e. "Anomalous endorsement". Section 41-03-24.
f. "Blank endorsement". Section 41-03-24.
g. "Cashier's check". Section 41-03-04.
h. "Certificate of deposit". Section 41-03-04.

i. "Certified check". Section 41-03-46.
j. "Check". Section 41-03-04.
k. "Consideration". Section 41-03-29.
l. "Demand draft". Section 41-03-04.
m. "Draft". Section 41-03-04.
n. "Endorsement". Section 41-03-23.
o. "Endorser". Section 41-03-23.
p. "Fiduciary". Section 41-03-33.
q. "Holder in due course". Section 41-03-28.
r. "Incomplete instrument". Section 41-03-15.
s. "Instrument". Section 41-03-04.
t. "Issue". Section 41-03-05.
u. "Issuer". Section 41-03-05.
v. "Negotiable instrument". Section 41-03-04.
w. "Negotiation". Section 41-03-20.
x. "Note". Section 41-03-04.
y. "Payable at a definite time". Section 41-03-08.
z. "Payable on demand". Section 41-03-08.
aa. "Payable to bearer". Section 41-03-09.
bb. "Payable to order". Section 41-03-09.
cc. "Payment". Section 41-03-64.
dd. "Person entitled to enforce". Section 41-03-27.
ee. "Presentment". Section 41-03-58.
ff. "Reacquisition". Section 41-03-26.
gg. "Represented person". Section 41-03-33.
hh. "Special endorsement". Section 41-03-24.
ii. "Teller's check". Section 41-03-04.
jj. "Transfer of instrument". Section 41-03-22.
kk. "Traveler's check". Section 41-03-04.
ll. "Value". Section 41-03-29.
3. The following definitions in other chapters apply to this chapter:
a. "Bank". Section 41-04-05.
b. "Banking day". Section 41-04-04.
c. "Clearinghouse". Section 41-04-04.
d. "Collecting bank". Section 41-04-05.
e. "Customer". Section 41-04-04.
f. "Depositary bank". Section 41-04-05.
g. "Documentary draft". Section 41-04-04.
h. "Intermediary bank". Section 41-04-05.
i. "Item". Section 41-04-04.
j. "Payor bank". Section 41-04-05.
k. "Suspends payments". Section 41-04-04.
4. In addition, chapter 41-01 contains general definitions and principles of construction
and interpretation applicable throughout this chapter.