Doors opened in the US for check truncation and image exchange when the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act (Check 21) become effective on October 28, 2004, and check processing will never be the same. With the potential to reduce overall item processing costs by over two billion dollars annually, financial institutions are actively exploring a variety of avenues to take full advantage of the "Check 21" opportunity. Outside of the United States many countries are exploring or actively pursuing check truncation-based on their respective countries check clearing process.