Patent ID: 8820631

Claim:
A method for issuing a negotiable instrument from funds in an account that is maintained at a host computer system, the method comprising: receiving, at the host computer system, a request from an account holder for a negotiable instrument in the form of a paper check to be provided to the account holder, including a request to allocate a specific amount of funds from the account; allocating the specific amount from the account; providing a balance remaining in the account after allocating the specific amount; providing a paper stock of physical, blank negotiable instruments at an issuing location remote and apart from the account holder; in response to and after allocating the specific amount, printing at the issuing location and on one of the stock of blank negotiable instruments, identification information which identifies the negotiable instrument; providing the printed negotiable instrument to the account holder as the requested negotiable instrument, by sending the negotiable instrument to the account holder at the location of the account holder that is remote and apart from the issuing location; and after the printed negotiable instrument is received by the account holder, and before the negotiable instrument is presented as payment to a payee, activating the printed negotiable instrument at the host computer system by the account holder providing a personal identifier to the host computer system.