The federal government uses the Express Debit product to issue electronic payments to people who do not have bank accounts, who are often referred to collectively as the "unbanked".

LTV said it had issued supplemental payments to nearly 10,000 retirees whose income was reduced when the pension agency ended the company's pension plans in January.

While the manager issued legitimate payments, the program" - behind his back - "initiated 27 transactions to various bank accounts, siphoning off $447,000 in a matter of minutes.

He was also sued by the County Legislature for refusing to issue payments to Erie Community College which had been included in the County's budget.

Vellacott also called for full compensation to Hepatitis C victims during his first term in Parliament, arguing that the government could overcome complicated legal issues around liability by issuing ex gratia payments.

It issues payments in the form of Commodity Certificates.

But Ms. Gotbaum wondered how the board could issue payments when, according to early unofficial counts, there was a difference of several thousand votes between Mr. Siegel and Mr. Stringer.

"So, in essence you issued payments for supplies you never saw."

InteliData was one of the companies that developed computer systems that could almost instantly make deductions from a customer's account to issue payments.

FMS cannot issue payments on behalf of federal program agencies until official certification of those payments is received from the agencies.