I’ve recently seen inside the horror that is the US interbank clearing system. It seems crazy to me. In New Zealand we regularly share bank account numbers for

I’ve recently seen inside the horror that is the US interbank clearing system. It seems crazy to me. In New Zealand we regularly share bank account numbers for payments, most obviously via TradeMe, our ebay equivalent. If you had my bank account number you could authorise a payment with an approved direct debit provider, who have to keep the approval on file in case of a dispute.