§ 336.4A-207 — Misdescription of Beneficiary
Plain-Language Summary
This section deals with payment orders that misdescribe the beneficiary. If the order names a beneficiary or account that does not exist or cannot be identified, no one has rights as beneficiary and the order cannot be accepted. If the order identifies the beneficiary by both a name and an account number that point to different people, the beneficiary's bank that does not know of the mismatch may rely on the account number and need not check whether the name and number match. When the bank pays the person identified by number who was not entitled to the money, the section sets who must bear the loss: a bank originator must pay its order, a non-bank originator may avoid paying if it proves the person paid was not entitled (unless its bank shows the originator was warned, such as by a signed record, that payment might be made on the number alone), and the wrongly paid amount may be recovered from that person under the law of mistake and restitution.
336.4A-207 MISDESCRIPTION OF BENEFICIARY.
(a) Subject to subsection (b), if, in a payment order received by the beneficiary’s bank, the name, bank account number, or other identification of the beneficiary refers to a nonexistent or unidentifiable person or account, no person has rights as a beneficiary of the order and acceptance of the order cannot occur.
(b) If a payment order received by the beneficiary’s bank identifies the beneficiary both by name and by an identifying or bank account number and the name and number identify different persons, the following rules apply:
(1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (c), if the beneficiary’s bank does not know that the name and number refer to different persons, it may rely on the number as the proper identification of the beneficiary of the order. The beneficiary’s bank need not determine whether the name and number refer to the same person.
(2) If the beneficiary’s bank pays the person identified by name or knows that the name and number identify different persons, no person has rights as beneficiary except the person paid by the beneficiary’s bank if that person was entitled to receive payment from the originator of the funds transfer. If no person has rights as beneficiary, acceptance of the order cannot occur.
(c) If (i) a payment order described in subsection (b) is accepted, (ii) the originator’s payment order described the beneficiary inconsistently by name and number, and (iii) the beneficiary’s bank pays the person identified by number as permitted by subsection (b)(1), the following rules apply:
(1) If the originator is a bank, the originator is obliged to pay its order.
(2) If the originator is not a bank and proves that the person identified by number was not entitled to receive payment from the originator, the originator is not obliged to pay its order unless the originator’s bank proves that the originator, before acceptance of the originator’s order, had notice that payment of a payment order issued by the originator might be made by the beneficiary’s bank on the basis of an identifying or bank account number even if it identifies a person different from the named beneficiary. Proof of notice may be made by any admissible evidence. The originator’s bank satisfies the burden of proof if it proves that the originator, before the payment order was accepted, signed a record stating the information to which the notice relates.
(d) In a case governed by subsection (b)(1), if the beneficiary’s bank rightfully pays the person identified by number and that person was not entitled to receive payment from the originator, the amount paid may be recovered from that person to the extent allowed by the law governing mistake and restitution as follows:
(1) If the originator is obliged to pay its payment order as stated in subsection (c), the originator has the right to recover.
(2) If the originator is not a bank and is not obliged to pay its payment order, the originator’s bank has the right to recover.
History:
1990 c 582 art 1 s 15; 2024 c 93 art 5 s 5
History: History: 1990 c 582 art 1 s 15; 2024 c 93 art 5 s 5