What is a crossed cheque?

The crossed cheque is a type of cheque that can only be directly deposited into a bank account. It can be identified with two parallel lines across the whole cheque or just the top left corner. These checks cannot be immediately cashed by a bank. There are specific instructions to a financial institution on how to handle a crossed cheque. Once a cheque is crossed, it cannot be uncrossed by the payee or cannot be signed over to a third party.