Back in 2005, when I bought my house here in Peoria, I was sitting in a downtown law office when I suddenly realized that I had brought only my checkbook to the closing. Knowing that I needed a cashier’s check, I interrupted the attorneys and said, “I have a problem.” After calling my long-time bank in Minneapolis, I learned that the closest branch was 45 minutes away—so I hopped in my car and drove to get the check. Despite the “Check 21 Act” being enacted a year earlier, we were still a long way from the promises of paperless banking transactions. More...