Computers and Banking Electronic Funds Transfer Systems and Public Policy

Electronic funds transfer (EFT) systems include a wide range of computer-based payment systems and sources that substitute electronic and digital transfers for movements of cash and paper checks. A few years ago some people were predict ing that EFT would replace paper money and coins entirely and that we would soon be a "checkless" and' 'cashless" society. Such sweeping changes have not occurred, but a slower evolution is clearly underway. Although checks, cur rency, and coin are likely to be here for many years to come, EFT is becoming an established part of our worldwide payment transfer system, and the implications and consequences of this technology are real. They include: • Alterations in personal finance and in the process of purchasing and paying for consumer goods and services. • Changes in the structure of financial and retail organizations and their mode of interaction in the marketplace. • Modifications in the flow of funds in our society and in the interactions among economic institutions. • Alterations in the prospects for invasion of personal privacy, perpetration of fraud and theft, and violation of antitrust regulations. • Changes in the regulatory and competitive balance among the numerous financial institutions in the United States. Such alterations foretell important impacts on people and society. Benefits are forthcoming, but the costs will also be real.