Bank of America Says Checks Are Slowing Treasury Down

Why It Matters

The reliance on checks hampers treasury efficiency and customer experience, while adopting real‑time, AI‑driven payout solutions can cut costs and boost competitive differentiation in B2C markets.

Key Takeaways

• Checks add printing, mailing, reconciliation, increasing treasury workload
• Real-time APIs and push-to-card enable instant B2C disbursements
• Orchestration platforms consolidate multiple payment rails into a single workflow
• AI can improve routing, predict exceptions, and automate communications
• Event-driven treasury reduces batch processing, giving transaction-level visibility

Pulse Analysis

The rise of instant commerce has forced treasury departments to rethink their traditional batch‑oriented models. Consumers accustomed to real‑time purchases now demand equally swift refunds, insurance claim payouts and other disbursements, turning payments from a back‑office function into a front‑line customer experience. While many firms have adopted faster rails such as ACH‑Instant, Zelle and push‑to‑card, paper checks remain entrenched, creating unnecessary printing, mailing and reconciliation steps that delay cash flow and inflate operational overhead.

Orchestration technology is emerging as the linchpin for modern treasury operations. By abstracting the complexities of each payment rail—whether ACH, card, wallet or real‑time network—these platforms enable a single, unified workflow that routes funds based on speed, cost and risk criteria. The result is a shift from batch‑based processing to event‑driven execution, delivering transaction‑level visibility and reducing manual handoffs. Coupled with artificial intelligence, orchestration can predict exceptions, optimize routing decisions and automate customer communications, preserving governance while scaling across fragmented payout ecosystems.

For treasury leaders, the implications are both strategic and operational. Reducing reliance on checks frees staff from repetitive reconciliation tasks, allowing them to focus on governance, risk management and enhancing the end‑user experience. Companies that adopt real‑time, AI‑enhanced disbursement models gain a competitive edge, offering recipients choice and immediacy without building parallel infrastructures. As embedded finance continues to mature, the future of treasury will be increasingly personalized, seamless and integrated directly into the customer journey, driving efficiency and strengthening brand loyalty.