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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>54714</law_id><section_number>8.3A-205</section_number><catch_line>Special endorsement; blank endorsement; anomalous endorsement</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>8.3A-103</reference><reference>8.3A-109</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="8.3A">Commercial Code &#x2014; Negotiable Instruments</unit><unit label="part" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="2">Negotiation, Transfer, and Endorsement</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="a"><p><span class="prefix-number">a.</span> If an endorsement is made by the holder of an instrument, whether payable to an identified person or payable to bearer, and the endorsement identifies a person to whom it makes the instrument payable, it is a &#x201C;special endorsement.&#x201D; When specially endorsed, an instrument becomes payable to the identified person and may be negotiated only by the endorsement of that person. The principles stated in &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Identification of person to whom instrument is payable" href="/8.3A-110/">8.3A-110</a> apply to special endorsements. <a id="paragraph-200855" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/8.3A-205/#a"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="b"><p><span class="prefix-number">b.</span> If an endorsement is made by the holder of an instrument and it is not a special endorsement, it is a &#x201C;blank endorsement.&#x201D; When endorsed in blank, an instrument becomes payable to bearer and may be negotiated by transfer of <span class="dictionary">possession</span> alone until specially endorsed. <a id="paragraph-200856" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/8.3A-205/#b"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="c"><p><span class="prefix-number">c.</span> The holder may convert a blank endorsement that consists only of a signature into a special endorsement by writing, above the signature of the endorser, words identifying the person to whom the instrument is made payable. <a id="paragraph-200857" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/8.3A-205/#c"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="d"><p><span class="prefix-number">d.</span> &#x201C;<span class="dictionary">Anomalous endorsement</span>&#x201D; means an endorsement made by a person who is not the holder of the instrument. An <span class="dictionary">anomalous endorsement</span> does not affect the manner in which the instrument may be negotiated. <a id="paragraph-200858" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/8.3A-205/#d"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7;&#xA7; 6-361, 6-385 through 6-388, 6-392; 1956, c. 149; 1964, c. 219, &#xA7;&#xA7; 8.3-111, 8.3-204; 1992, c. 693.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
