ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE VERIFICATION METHOD AND SYSTEM

In an electronic signature verification method, in order to perform optimum verification while coping with variations in signatures of an individual, data of a handwritten character string of a signer are fetched and compared with registration signature data set in advance; and a verification judgment is performed by use of separate regions including a region in which the signature is recognized to be true, a region in which the signature is not recognized to be true, and an intermediate region in which re-signing is requested due to impossibility of judgment. The region in which the signature is recognized to be true and the intermediate region in which re-signing is requested are determined on the basis of the distribution of cumulative errors between the registration signature data and the plurality of signature data sets for registration, such that the region in which the signature is recognized to be true becomes wider when the distribution is wide and becomes narrower when the distribution is narrow and such that the intermediate region becomes wider when the distribution is wide and becomes narrower when the distribution is narrow.