According to a study commissioned by Fiserv, which develops online billpay systems, using the internet to pay bills, send electronic checks, etc. can reduce customer turnover by up to 95%.

FORBES: Addicted To Online Billpay?

The UK will move towards an integrated electronic border security system, linking biometric passports and visas with electronic checks on entry and exit, helping to track and intercept terrorists and criminals and to stop illegal immigration.

BBC: Key points: Brown speech

The Federal Reserve Bank said 2003 was the year electronic payments trumped checks as the method of choice.

FORBES: The Myth Of The Cashless Society

Because most of our payments are electronic and we have bank checks to represent large amounts, the need for coins and notes is greatly reduced.

FORBES: Yes, Printing Money Can Create Wealth

Even before the housing and credit bubbles burst, the past several decades saw a number of tectonic shifts that affected retail banking, such as the explosion of credit-card use, the creation of electronic banking, and the decline of paper checks.

FORBES: A Survival Guide for Retail Banking

With more emotion than sense, electronic components, machine parts and even towels made far from Fukushima have required radiation checks or been turned back by Italy and China, among others.

ECONOMIST: A spreading cloud of economic and human costs

And the Treasury Department has discretion to stop sending paper checks in the future, so check recipients will want to look into the electronic options.

WSJ: Government Pushes Paperless Payments for Social Security

March 1 is the official deadline for those receiving paper checks for benefits, including Social Security, veterans and Supplemental Security Income, to switch to an electronic-payment method.

WSJ: Government Pushes Paperless Payments for Social Security