The United States relies on paper checks more than any other industrialized nation, with check volume peaking in the mid-1990s. Since those peak years, check volume has been declining.
Due to accelerated processing times and return notification to the payee, the check conversion process results in fewer returns, earlier fraud detection, and fewer errors.
Check conversion relies on the same secure network used for Direct Deposit and Direct Payment, the Automated Clearing House (ACH).
There is an environmental impact to using paper checks. In addition to the natural resources used to manufacture and print paper checks, processing the checks relies heavily on our nation's transportation systems, including trucks and airplanes. Every year, paper checks use more than 674 million gallons of fuel and add more than 3.6 million tons of greenhouse gases/CO2 to the environment.
