Law Commons^™

Bills And Notes - Execution Of Instruments By Agents - Liability Under N.I.L.

Michigan Law Review

The liability of parties on negotiable instruments executed by agents or representatives is a matter which has not been satisfactorily settled by the cases under the N.I.L., due partly to the ambiguity of the statute itself and partly to the obstinate refusal of some courts to adopt the approach of the ordinary business man. Under the law merchant the agent ran a great risk of personal liability in executing a negotiable instrument unless he was careful to spell out that he was signing for a named principal as agent only. If he merely added to his name the phrase "agent …