The Check Republic

By: Dan Lewis

Narrated by: Mark Schectman

Checks are, basically, IOUs. The person writing the check promises to pay the check's recipient at some point in the very near future. The check writer isn't even part of the transaction at that point – the writer's bank is instructed, literally, to "pay" the amount specified "to the order of" the person to whom the check is made out. The bank plays a critical role in the transaction beyond the delivery of cash, too – it helps ensure that the check writer is good for the debt now owed, by imposing bad check and overdraft fees on those who write checks larger than their accounts can handle. These and other assurances help keep the financial system moving, even if checks aren't cashed or don't clear immediately.

©2016 Dan Lewis (P)2016 Audible, Inc.