Meaning, if the down payment hasn't already cleared Mr. Adelson's bank.

The payment to Mr. Chen had not cleared by the time the invasion began.

Simply put: A payment via check is not a "payment" until the check was cashed and clears the banks.

If your payment clears later than this, you may be liable to a surcharge for late payment.

"It's much more reliable than the mail and payments are clearing one to two days sooner."

You can confirm from your own bank or building society statement that payment has cleared your account.

On average, 24.9 million payments cleared each day through CPA systems, representing over 6.3 billion payments over the year in 2011.

Claimants should issue this type of release only when they are positive their work is done and the payment has cleared their bank.

If you have made an electronic payment, you can confirm payment has cleared your account by checking your bank or building society statement.

The report offers specific recommendations ranging from the utopian (international harmonization of accounting rules) to the mundane (faster payments clearing).