Banks across the nation this week have been adapting to the introduction of a new form of check processing: Check 21. Check 21, which was introduced Oct. 28, is the working term for a new series of guidelines mandating how checks are processed.

Check 21 brings the world of check processing into the 21st century by allowing checks to be processed electronically, making the entire process more efficient and faster.

The events of Sept. 11 brought the need for this new process to the attention of lawmakers.

“When airplanes could not fly for a week, there were banks that needed to get checks back to the originating banks,” Jon Drayna, communications director for Associated Bank, said. “A lot of people stood up and said we need a more modern way and a way that does not require physical transportation.”

Banks using Check 21 capture a picture of the front and back of the check and any other information they need. This creates an electronic check that can be transmitted to any bank in a very short amount of time. If the bank or customer requires an actual check, they can print out the information and create a ‘substitute check.’

According to Drayna, the substitute check has the same legal validity as an actual check. It is created from data that can travel over electronic connections, including the Internet.

As banks and customers adapt to this new system, many have speculated that it will cause problems when consumers do not have enough funds in their banks to clear the speedy new electronic check. There is not, however, that much of a difference in the clearing time between Check 21 and paper checks, Michael Mach, administrator for the state Division of Banking, said.

“The average person may not really see that much of a change, as in many instances [paper] checks were actually clearing overnight from various delivery mechanisms,” Mach said. “They should keep in mind that they should have funds before they clear the check.”

Currently about 90 percent of all checks clear overnight in the United States, Drayna said.

One change the average consumer can expect to see when they get their bank statement each month. If a person usually gets cancelled checks along with their statement, they may begin to see substitute checks instead of the actual ones they wrote. In some cases, it will be a mix of substitute and original checks.

Most banks believe Check 21 will not have an impact on customers’ routines. Bank officials repeatedly state Check 21 isn’t that much of a change from what is already in use.

“If people were expecting to see a dramatic change in the amount of time it takes their checks to clear, they were mistaken,” Drayna said. “There is a lot of overstatement or exaggerated concern about what Check 21 is or isn’t. I think people have the mistaken impression that its impact will be bigger.”