On April 14, 2010, he received an email from Accelerated Payment Technologies Inc.

WSJ: Hackers New Target: Small Firms With Lax Security

So in theory if cross-default or accelerated payment clauses were unexpectedly to turn up in bond documentation, the Greek parliament could legislate to make them null and void.

BBC: Is a Greek default so bad for Greece?

Bob Cortopassi, Accelerated Payment Technologies' compliance security officer, said the breach happened because of a "lack of basic security requirements" and isn't the fault of its payment system.

WSJ: Hackers New Target: Small Firms With Lax Security

But there seem to be no clauses in the prospectuses for Greek government bonds that would trigger accelerated payment of the rest of what's owed on any particular bond in default or that would put other bonds into default: in the jargon, there are no accelerated payment or cross-default clauses.

BBC: Is a Greek default so bad for Greece?

The third company to declare a payout Monday took a page out of that book, but also followed in the footsteps of Wal-Mart, which accelerated a dividend payment scheduled for early 2013 to get in just under the wire.

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Breedon however has noticed that when payment terms are accelerated at the top of the chain - when for example the government pays promptly - there is a benefit to the supplier dealing directly with the end buyer, but not necessarily to those smaller companies sitting below the main supplier.

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