Agency Clearing Service User Guide for Sterling Cheque and Credit Clearing Services
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Agency Clearing Service User Guide for Sterling Cheque and Credit Clearing Services Image Clearing System (ICS) Version 3.0 1 Contents 4.7 Data Files 15 4.7.1 File delivery mechanism 16 Contents 4.7.2 File Naming Convention 16 1 Contents 2 4.7.3 Connectivity Guides 16 2 Cheque Image Clearing – Scheme Overview 3 4.7.4 File Timing 16 3 Barclays Indirect Participant Service Overview 3 4.7.5 File Split 16 3.1 Features 3 4.8 Service Level Controls (SLCs) 16 3.2 Advantages 3 4.9 Dual Running 17 3.3 Overview of Service/Solution components 4 4.9.1 Transition period 17 3.3.1 iPortal 4 4.9.2 Duplicate Checking 17 3.3.2 Agency Pay 4 5 Credit In-clearing Transitional Solution 17 3.3.3 Cheque and Voucher Image Archive 4 5.1 Credit In-clearing 17 3.3.4 Data Files 4 6 Research and Adjustments 17 3.4 Credit In clearing – Tactical Solution 5 6.1 ICS approach 17 4 Procedures – Debit in-clearing 5 6.2 Process 18 4.1 iPortal 5 6.2.1 Information Required when Calling the R&A Help Desk 18 4.1.1 Accessing iPortal 5 7 Contingency 18 4.1.2 User Roles and Admin Control 5 7.1 Incidents within your own systems and infrastructure 18 4.2 Agency Pay 6 7.2 Service Incidents with Barclays Image Clearing Service 19 4.2.1 Accessing Agency Pay 6 7.3 Contact Points 19 4.2.2 Making a payment decision 6 8 Appendices 19 4.2.3 Viewing an image of the cheque 8 8.1 Agency Pay Screens 19 4.2.4 Checking a duplicate 9 8.1.1 Summary screen 19 4.2.5 Making bulk pay decisions 11 8.1.2 Payment decision screen 20 4.2.6 Resetting 12 8.1.3 Payment decisions 22 4.2.7 Submission 12 8.1.4 View details screen 24 4.2.8 Exporting data 13 8.1.5 Compare duplicates screen 25 4.3 Settlement and Default Decisioning 13 8.2 Standard unpaid answers 25 4.3.1 Settlement 14 8.3 Industry Service Level Controls (SLCs) 26 4.3.2 Default Decisioning 14 8.4 Reference Documents 27 4.3.3 Funds Availability 14 4.4 Fraud Reporting 14 9 Glossary 27 4.5 Current Account Switching Service (CASS) 15 4.5.1 You are the New Paying Bank 15 4.5.2 You are the Old Paying Bank 15 4.6 Image Archive 15 2 2 Cheque Image Clearing – Scheme Overview *exceptions: there are two NI Bank Holidays (St Patricks Day and Orange Day) where payment decisions from banks located in Northern Ireland will be delayed by one day. With nearly half a billion cheques written in 2016, it is vital that the UK’s Cheque clearing process is robust, reliable and secure. With this in mind, and to ensure that the future of This guide outlines the process that you need to follow to be compliant with the ICS scheme the Cheque is protected for as long as customers want to use them, the Cheque and Credit rules as an indirect in-clearing participant i.e. acting as a “Paying Participant” and/or a Clearing Company (C&CCC) is introducing a new and quicker way of clearing Cheques that “Beneficiary Participant” for eligible items deposited at locations other than your own. uses 21st century technology. 3 Barclays Indirect Participant Service Overview Called the Image Clearing System (ICS), the proposed new method will revolutionise how Barclays Agency Clearing Service is available to financial institutions, and as an agency cheques are cleared in the UK. It will mean that cheques will be cleared using a digital image of customer enables you to use a unique sort code, clear cheques, and in turn offer your own the cheque rather than via the current paper-based clearing system where the physical paper customers an account on which cheques can be drawn, paper credits received and automated cheque is transported around the country to be cleared. entries passed. In return, as a customer of the Agency Clearing Service you take on the The new system is due to go live with some banks and building societies from 30 October 2017. responsibility of complying with the C&CCC regulations and Barclays own rules contained Then, at some stage during the second half of 2018, all of the UK’s banks and building societies within this document. will clear all cheques via the image-based system to the faster timescale. 3.1 Features One of the main benefits of an image-based system is that the cheque clearing process is • You are issued with your own sort code number(s) from the Barclays range faster than the paper-based clearing, so cheque recipients will have access to the money in • The service provides full access to the UK clearing bank network their accounts more quickly. However, this does also mean, the person or business who wrote the cheque will find that the money will leave their account in a faster timescale too. • You carry out your own final processing, unless other arrangements have been made, including the debiting/crediting of your customers’ accounts The ICS will speed up the time it takes a cheque to clear from six weekdays to the next • Cheques are printed with your own design/logo. weekday (bank holidays excluded). This means that if a cheque is paid in on a weekday (before the collecting bank’s cutoff time) the cheque must be cleared by 23:59 on the next weekday 3.2 Advantages (bank holidays excluded). The high level overview of the scheme is as follows: • Improves corporate image • Items (cheques and credits) are deposited into the image clearing scheme on Day 1 by the • An agency customer projects the image of being a full UK clearing bank in its own right. “Collecting Participant” No mention of the Barclays name is required on cheques, credits or other stationery • The “Paying Participant” is required to make a pay / no pay decision on all debit items on • The service avoids additional costs associated with full membership of the clearing system Day 2 * • Although you avail yourself of all the clearing services, Barclays is actually acting as your • “Beneficiary Participants” must make funds available to their customers no later than 23:59 “sponsor” on Day 2 for value and withdrawal. At the same time the customer receives “certainty of • You are able to offer services such as bank accounts and cheque books directly to your fate”. customers. 3 3.3 Overview of Service / Solution components • view a summary of the cheques requiring payment decisions today (both number and 3.3.1 iPortal value) iPortal is Barclays’ single point of access to Digital services for our Corporate customers. • view how far through the current day’s clearing process you are. It provides a consolidated work-list for a single view of outstanding tasks, alerts and secure 3.3.3 Cheque and Voucher Image Archive communication supplementing our personal relationship model; and a gateway to specialised solutions, all from a single login. The Cheque and Voucher Image Archive gives you online access to images of cheques that have already passed through clearing. This is a standard service available through iPortal, but In terms of Agency Bank in-clearing services under the ICS, you will require access to iPortal will include images of cheques that are cleared through the ICS. The service allows you to: which will provide: • View images of cheques that have been through clearing • Access to the online components of the Agency Bank solution, Agency Pay and the Cheque • Print and save the images of these cheques. and Voucher Image Archive • Access to tools that allow you to manage how you use and control the service 3.3.4 Data Files • The ability for you to control what your individual business users have access to You have the option to receive data files with your debit and credit information to support automation of processes at your end. • A single sign-on for your business’ users giving access to all the services you have given them access to. The data files will be in the ICS Industry format (XML file format), however If you are already registered to receive data files for the paper scheme, you have an option to receive the image 3.3.2 Agency Pay item data in Standard Barclays format (flat file format) as well. Agency Pay provides you with the mechanism to make payment decisions on cheques issued by your customers or by yourself using your agency sort code and cleared under the ICS. The industry format provides more information relevant to the ICS scheme. Refer to the This is an online service accessible through iPortal and provides the ability to: Data File Specifications for more details. • View data and images for all cheques on which payment decisions must be made on the The following data files are available: current day • Debit in file (XML and Standard Barclays format) • make payment decisions on each cheque • Credit in file (XML and Standard Barclays format) • quickly set the payment decision for a large number of cheques to ‘Pay’ • Payment Response file (XML File format only) • trigger when Barclays return payment decisions to the ICS • separate who makes the payment decisions and who triggers the payment decisions being The data files will be delivered by 02:30; day 2 for Debit and Credit in. The payment response returned to the ICS files be available latest by 16:30 on day 2 4 3.4 Credit In clearing – Transitional Solution • Decision Maker – as viewer plus can make individual payment decisions and bulk The launch of the full credit in-clearing service is expected to commence in March 2018.