Extracting text written on a check

A system for identifying a check with text located on the check, the check being issued from a checking account by a payor to a payee, the system comprising:

• a restricted lexicon containing a plurality of information entries being strings of characters predefined as identification information that may be written on the check;
• an extraction module receiving the check and comparing the text to the plurality of information entries in the restricted lexicon to identify an information entry as the interpretation for the text;
• and
• an account statement generation module generating an account statement for the checking account and linking the check to the interpretation for the text on the account statement.

A computer program product readable by a computing system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process for processing a check issued from a checking account by a payor to a payee, the computer process comprising:

• receiving a recognition list having a plurality of information entries being strings of characters defined by the payor as information that may be handwritten on the check;
• locating handwritten text on the check;
• comparing the handwritten text to each of the information entries listed in the recognition list to determine if one of the plurality of information entries matches the handwritten text;
• and
• if one of the plurality of information entries matches the handwritten text, linking the handwritten text to the matched information entry, wherein the linking act designates the matched information entry as an interpretation for the handwritten text.

A method for processing a check issued from a checking account by a payor to a payee, the method comprising:

• receiving a recognition list having a plurality of information entries being strings of characters defined by the payor as payee names that may be handwritten on the check;
• locating a payee name handwritten on the check;
• comparing the handwritten payee name to each of the information entries listed in the recognition list to determine if one of the plurality of information entries matches the handwritten payee name;
• if one of the plurality of information entries matches the handwritten payee name, linking the handwritten payee name to the matched information entry, wherein the linking act designates the matched information entry as an interpretation for the handwritten payee name;
• and
• generating an account statement for the checking account detailing transactions of the checking account over a predetermined period of time and depicting the check as linked to the interpretation.