A "drawee" is a party in a financial transaction who is responsible for paying a specified amount of money when a negotiable instrument, such as a check or bill of exchange, is presented. Typically, the drawee is a bank or financial institution that holds the account from which the funds will be drawn. In a transaction involving a check, the person who writes the check is known as the "drawer," while the bank that will pay the check is the drawee. The drawee must ensure that sufficient funds are available in the drawer's account to honor the payment when the check is cashed or deposited.