A financial transaction processing system is disclosed, wherein substantial processing efficiencies are provided with, additionally, a substantial decrease in the size of the executable code. Each transaction processed by the transaction processing system is described by a transaction data descriptor that includes a series of subtransaction data descriptions of actions that can be performed independently of one another. Thus, complex transaction processing logic is substantially removed from the executable code, and instead such transaction data descriptors are processed interpretatively. Moreover, the independence of the subtransactions allows the subtransactions of a transaction to be processed in parallel when performed on a multiprocessor computer. Additionally, the transaction processing system provides account balancing enhancements in that there are control columns in various data tables that are automatically updated during transaction processing so that by comparing control column totals, an indication of the integrity of current financial records is provided. Additionally, the transaction processing system provides full auditability in that any changes to financial data can be traced for any effective period of time into the past so that auditors can periodically perform a full audit of the financial transaction data retained by the transaction processing system.