Cheque truncation
Encyclopedia
Cheque truncation is the conversion of physical cheque
into electronic form for transmission to the paying bank. Cheque truncation eliminates cumbersome physical presentation of the cheque and saves time and processing costs.
for payment. Originally this was done by taking the cheque in person to the drawee bank, however as cheque usage increased this became cumbersome and banks arranged between each other to meet each day at a central location to exchange cheques and settle the money. This became known as central clearing
. Bank customers who received cheques could now deposit cheques at their own bank and their bank would arrange for the cheque to be returned to the drawee bank and any funds credited and debited from the appropriate accounts. If a cheque was dishonoured or bounced it would be physically returned to the original bank marked as such.
This process would take several days as physical cheques had to be transported to the central clearing location, from where they had to be transported to the payee bank. If the cheque bounced it would be transported back to the bank where the cheque was deposited. This is known as the clearing cycle.
Cheques had to be examined by hand at each stage and required a large amount of man power and handling.
In 1960 machine readable codes were added to the bottom of cheques in MICR format which allowed the clearing and sorting process to be automated. This helped to speedup the clearing process, however the law in most countries still required the physical cheques to be delivered back to the payee bank and so physical movement of the paper continued.
Starting in the mid 1990s some countries started to change their laws in relation to cheques to allow for truncation. Cheques would be imaged
and digital representation of the cheque would be transmitted to the drawee bank at which point the original cheques could be destroyed. The MICR codes and cheque details are normally encoded as text in addition to the image. The bank where the cheque was deposited would typically do the truncation and this dramatically decreased the time it took to clear a cheque. In some cases large retailers that received large volumes of cheques were also able to carry out this truncation process.
Once the cheque has been turned into a digital document it can be processed through the banking system just like any other electronic payment.
was one of the first countries to introduce truncation and imaging of cheques, when in 1995 they amended the cheque act 1960 to provide for the electronic presentment of cheques. A number of other countries followed over the next few years, but progress was mixed due to the decline in the use of cheques in favour of electronic payment systems. Some countries decided that the effort to implement truncation could not be justified for a declining payment method
and instead phased out the use of cheques altogether.
In 2004, the Check 21 Act
was implemented in the United States
to authorize conversion of the original paper check into an electronic image for presentment through the clearing process. The law also enacted the recognition and acceptance of a "substitute check
" created by a financial institution in lieu of the original paper check. Any bank that receives the original paper check can remove or "truncate" the paper check from the clearing process.
New laws needed to address ways to make sure that the digital image was a true and accurate copy of the original cheque as well as mechanism to make sure that the process could be audited to protect consumers.
It also needed to address the mechanism for dishonoured cheques as cheques could no longer be returned. A typical solution, as defined by Monetary Authority of Singapore
for the Singapore
cheque truncation system, was that a special 'Image Return Document' was created and sent back to bank that had truncated the cheque.
Cheque
A cheque is a document/instrument See the negotiable cow—itself a fictional story—for discussions of cheques written on unusual surfaces. that orders a payment of money from a bank account...
into electronic form for transmission to the paying bank. Cheque truncation eliminates cumbersome physical presentation of the cheque and saves time and processing costs.
History
To settle a cheque it has to be presented to the drawee bankBank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
for payment. Originally this was done by taking the cheque in person to the drawee bank, however as cheque usage increased this became cumbersome and banks arranged between each other to meet each day at a central location to exchange cheques and settle the money. This became known as central clearing
Clearing (finance)
In banking and finance, clearing denotes all activities from the time a commitment is made for a transaction until it is settled. Clearing is necessary because the speed of trades is much faster than the cycle time for completing the underlying transaction....
. Bank customers who received cheques could now deposit cheques at their own bank and their bank would arrange for the cheque to be returned to the drawee bank and any funds credited and debited from the appropriate accounts. If a cheque was dishonoured or bounced it would be physically returned to the original bank marked as such.
This process would take several days as physical cheques had to be transported to the central clearing location, from where they had to be transported to the payee bank. If the cheque bounced it would be transported back to the bank where the cheque was deposited. This is known as the clearing cycle.
Cheques had to be examined by hand at each stage and required a large amount of man power and handling.
In 1960 machine readable codes were added to the bottom of cheques in MICR format which allowed the clearing and sorting process to be automated. This helped to speedup the clearing process, however the law in most countries still required the physical cheques to be delivered back to the payee bank and so physical movement of the paper continued.
Starting in the mid 1990s some countries started to change their laws in relation to cheques to allow for truncation. Cheques would be imaged
Digital imaging
Digital imaging or digital image acquisition is the creation of digital images, typically from a physical scene. The term is often assumed to imply or include the processing, compression, storage, printing, and display of such images...
and digital representation of the cheque would be transmitted to the drawee bank at which point the original cheques could be destroyed. The MICR codes and cheque details are normally encoded as text in addition to the image. The bank where the cheque was deposited would typically do the truncation and this dramatically decreased the time it took to clear a cheque. In some cases large retailers that received large volumes of cheques were also able to carry out this truncation process.
Once the cheque has been turned into a digital document it can be processed through the banking system just like any other electronic payment.
Laws
Although technology needed to exist to be able to truncate a cheque, it was the laws related to cheques that were the main impediment to their introduction. New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
was one of the first countries to introduce truncation and imaging of cheques, when in 1995 they amended the cheque act 1960 to provide for the electronic presentment of cheques. A number of other countries followed over the next few years, but progress was mixed due to the decline in the use of cheques in favour of electronic payment systems. Some countries decided that the effort to implement truncation could not be justified for a declining payment method
Payment system
A payment system is a system used for transferring money. What makes it a "system" is that it employs cash-substitutes; traditional payment systems are negotiable instruments such as drafts and documentary credits such as letter of credits. With the advent of computers and electronic...
and instead phased out the use of cheques altogether.
In 2004, the Check 21 Act
Check 21 Act
The Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act is a United States federal law, , that was enacted on October 28, 2003 by the 108th Congress. The Check 21 Act took effect one year later on October 28, 2004...
was implemented in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to authorize conversion of the original paper check into an electronic image for presentment through the clearing process. The law also enacted the recognition and acceptance of a "substitute check
Substitute check
A substitute check is a negotiable instrument used in the United States to represent the digital reproduction of an original paper check...
" created by a financial institution in lieu of the original paper check. Any bank that receives the original paper check can remove or "truncate" the paper check from the clearing process.
New laws needed to address ways to make sure that the digital image was a true and accurate copy of the original cheque as well as mechanism to make sure that the process could be audited to protect consumers.
It also needed to address the mechanism for dishonoured cheques as cheques could no longer be returned. A typical solution, as defined by Monetary Authority of Singapore
Monetary Authority of Singapore
The Monetary Authority of Singapore is Singapore's central bank and financial regulatory authority...
for the Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
cheque truncation system, was that a special 'Image Return Document' was created and sent back to bank that had truncated the cheque.
Operations and clearing
The security related to imaging and creating the electronic cheque needed to be defined and the clearing process adjusted to accommodate electronic cheques.See also
- Substitute checkSubstitute checkA substitute check is a negotiable instrument used in the United States to represent the digital reproduction of an original paper check...
- Check 21 ActCheck 21 ActThe Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act is a United States federal law, , that was enacted on October 28, 2003 by the 108th Congress. The Check 21 Act took effect one year later on October 28, 2004...
- French check processing fee controversy of 2010French check processing fee controversy of 2010In 2010 the French government's Autorité de la concurrence fined eleven banks €384,900,000 for colluding to charge unjustified fees on check processing, especially for extra fees charged during the transition from paper check transfer to "Exchanges Check-Image" electronic transfer...