When I worked at a "lockbox" third party check processing co. a few yrs. ago, I picked up a comic book in the lobby of the Fed in S.F. Explained all about clearing houses in 7th grade reading comprehension level. http://www.ny.frb.org/pihome/fedpoint/fed31.html Michael Pugliese "Oh, I'm so sorry, Sir! You said your cable TV bill was applied to your cellular carrier?" "And then we overencoded the dollar amount, making a check for a hundred dollars, bounce because $100 does equal $1,000, and you did not have sufficient funds to cover?" "And now, Airtouch and TCI have both cut you off!..."