[clairity]

a potential reason your startup didn't take off:

"If such a system were to become commonplace, it would introduce only a minor amount of friction for most legitimate users..."

first, that doesn't sound like minor friction, but more importantly, even seemingly small friction can lead to large abandonment, especially if frictionless alternatives are readily available.

banks love (large) escrow products by the way. super-low risk, low effort, and very reliable fee income for them.