He wanted to hold my passport until the check cleared, but I refused and slammed the door.

There was no point in giving an inch until the check cleared the bank.

I don't feel comfortable until the check clears in any business.

"Negotiations are never over until the check clears," he said.

And some banks make money available before a check has actually cleared, so a depositor can't know if it had.

The inflation is so bad that by the time your check clears it's worth 6 percent less.

The banks say they must wait, in most cases, to allow checks to clear the system to protect against insufficient funds.

The dispute was settled for about $350,000 and then the checks cleared, he said.

They agreed to refund the difference to the buyer once the check cleared.

I've worked for 45 years, and my checks have always cleared the bank.