“For now, Google is “exploring” the full contours of what it calls “smart checking accounts,” and will have more to say on the matter later, the spokesman says. News of the move first became known through reporting by The Wall Street Journal. But for some observers, bill pay is an obvious place to start. Though they control the demand-deposit accounts that underwrite these payments, banks have struggled to control consumers’ bill-payment activity. Their share of total bill-pay volume fell from 38% to 27% between 2010 and 2016, according to the Boston-based research firm Aite Group. By contrast, billers grew their share from 62% to 73%. The offering through Google Pay could help recover some of that share.”