Homeless man returns lost $13,045 cheque

A homeless man in Connecticut says he wanted to "do the right thing" when he found and returned a $13,045 cheque.

The New Haven Register reports real estate agent Roberta Hoskie lost the cheque for US$10,000 Wednesday morning in New Haven. She says she got a call that Elmer Alvarez found the cheque before she realised it was lost.

Ms Hoskie went to meet Mr Alvarez, and she found out during the meeting that he was homeless. She understood the situation well, as she had once been homeless herself.

Ms Hoskie gave Mr Alvarez another cheque for an undisclosed amount.

Mr Alvarez says he's working on getting a job and putting his life back together.

Ms Hoskie says she plans to help the man by giving him free classes at her real estate school.