Blank endorsement of a financial instrument, such as a cheque, is only a signature, not indicating the payee. The effect of this is that it is payable only to the bearer – legally, it transforms an ("pay to the order of (the payee)") into a bearer instrument ("pay to the bearer"). It is one of the types of endorsement of a negotiable instrument. It is "an endorsement consisting of nothing but a signature and allowing any party in possession of the endorsed item to execute a claim." A blank endorsement is a commonly known and accepted term in the legal and business worlds.