Maker

A “maker” is a person who makes, frames, executes, or ordains. Some common uses of the term “maker” in a legal sense include: 

• In the context of a check or promissory note, a “maker” is the person who signs a check or promissory note, which makes that person responsible for payment.
• “Maker” may also refer to a person who endorses a check or a note to another person before it is delivered, which makes the endorser obligated to pay until it is delivered.
• In the context of securities law, cases such as this one from Georgia, explain that “a corporate officer or director may be responsible for a violation of the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws if he or she is the ‘maker’ of the statement at issue, i.e., the person or entity with ultimate authority over the statement, including its content and whether and how to communicate it.”