| Passage 3 Providing for a payment mechanism or the transfer of funds is one of the important functions performed by commercial banks, and it is increasing in importance as greater reliance is placing on the use of checks and credit cards. The increasing efficiency with which funds are managed is indicated by the gradual decline in money holdings relative to the gross national product over the years, despite the increase in the number of financial transactions. In recent years the only kind of money that has increased relative to national income is coin, primarily because of the growth of metering and vending machines. As we can see, at present check deposits are assuming a larger portion of the transaction load, and they are, being used more, efficiently. Most of the checks in the nation are cleared through the commercial banking system. Checks drawn on and deposited in the same bank merely transfer funds from one counter to another. If only two banks are involved in the same town, there is a direct exchange of checks. When several banks are involved within the same city, a clearing hours arrangement is usually employed. The process becomes a bit more complicated and time-consuming. Banks have employed computers and other sophisticated equipment to speed the clearing process, reduce costs, and improve accuracy. In recent years considerable thought and research have been given to what has become known as checkless banking. This would activate computers in banks throughout the nation and thus transfer funds from the purchaser's account, make deposits and loan repayments, and transfer funds between a depositor's accounts, make deposits and loan repayments, and transfer funds between a depositor's savings and checking accounts. |