[steveh73]

Don't they take several days? Does the US seriously not having something equivalent to direct credit?

[MikeCodeAwesome]

Checks are frequently turned into ACH transactions. You may be interested in http://www.occ.gov/topics/consumer-protection/depository-ser....

[bmj]

Many banks will instantly deposit checks up a certain amount (say $500), and deposit some percentage of large checks immediately, with the rest deposited after the check has cleared the writer's bank.