Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston

Randall Lee Mueller

V Srinivas Nori

Thomas Edwin Schaadt

Steven Q Purser

Benjamin T Breeden, Jr

James A Blake

Pablo Gonzalez

Steven Joseph Harris

Eric Lendl

David Treptow

Richard Rodrigues

Diane Marie Baggett

Bruce D Herring

Steven Martin

Jeffrey F Schiele

Ronald Ray Mason

Jeannine M DeLano

Timothy Rachek

Daniel A Maslaney

A printed cash letter includes a machine-readable identifier, such as a barcode, identifying the cash letter. Upon printing, information from the identifier is read and stored in a first record. To determine whether the cash letter is a duplicate, a check presentment module compares information from the identifier with information in the first record. If information identifying the cash letter already exists in the first record, the cash letter is a duplicate. To verify cash letter printing, information identifying multiple cash letters to be printed is stored in a second record. Upon printing a portion of the cash letters, information read from identifiers on the printed cash letters is compared with information in the second record. If the second record includes information regarding a cash letter not identified in the information scanned from the barcodes, then the check presentment module identifies the cash letter as having not been printed.

Identifying duplicate printed paper cash letters

Validating image cash letter ('ICL') files using appropriate validation standards for each ICL file and, where appropriate, allowing successfully validated elements of an ICL file containing one or more unsuccessfully validated elements to be processed for payment and/or presentment. A processing entity can receive an ICL file with multiple ICLs that each includes multiple bundles of electronic check items from a customer. The processing entity can validate the ICL file using multiple validation rules selected based on a file type of the ICL file, data content of the ICL file, and/or an identity of a bank associated with the ICL file. The processing entity can transmit a report of the validation results to the customer. The processing entity can select certain successfully validated elements of the ICL file for check presentment and/or payment processing.

Electronic image cash letter validation

Processing duplicate items in image cash letter ('ICL') reversal files for efficient handling. A duplicate item processing module can receive ICL reversal files comprising items representing duplicate electronic checks. The duplicate item processing module can determine whether the processing entity erroneously presented the item more than once. The duplicate item processing module can also determine whether the depositing institution erroneously deposited the item more than once for processing. Based on the determination of the source of the error, the duplicate item processing module can make a correction in its own records and/or forward the ICL reversal file with the duplicate item to the receiving institution.

System and method for processing duplicative electronic check reversal files

Efficiently assessing the quality of an electronic check image by determining whether the check image is suitable for image quality analysis prior to performing the image quality analysis. A check processing module of a check processor can determine whether the check image is suitable for image quality analysis by validating certain tags in the image. For example, such validation can include determining whether the check image includes certain mandatory tags and whether any optional tags present in the image are valid. The check processing module can determine that the check image is not suitable for image quality analysis if it does not include the mandatory tags or if it includes any invalid optional tags. The check processing module can assign a failure value to any check image that is not suitable for image quality analysis. The failure value can indicate a reason for the unsuitability of the check image.

Tag validation for efficiently assessing electronic check image quality

Producing print streams for efficiently generating properly formatted and ordered paper cash letters comprises print stream file that includes electronic form definitions for each cash letter document. The cash letter documents can include a cover page, one or more bundles of substitute checks, a bundle summary for each substitute check bundle, and/or a cash letter bundle summary. Information from an electronic image cash letter file can be input in data fields of the electronic form definitions. Printing the information in the print stream file results in a properly formatted and ordered paper cash letter including substitute checks and audit data. Each substitute check can include all of the MICR data provided on a corresponding, original paper check. The audit data includes the cover page, bundle summary(ies), and/or cash letter bundle summary, which can each detail the documents printed concurrently therewith.

Cash letter print streams

Accommodating the data needed to process checks for payment under the Check Clearing for the 21Century Act by using expanded fields of a financial data file. The financial data file can comprise the complete, original MICR data from an original or substitute paper check. The financial data file can comprise truncated data in conventional fields F1-F7 and untruncated data in expanded fields F10-F11. The financial data file further can comprise a result from an image quality analysis performed on an electronic image of the check. The untruncated MICR data and the electronic check image can be used to correct errors in the financial data file and to present the check for payment via a substitute check or an electronic image cash letter. The truncated MICR data can be used to electronically process the check via conventional means.

Expanded mass data sets for electronic check processing

Preventing duplicate ICL files and/or ICL file elements, including duplicate ICLs, items, and item bundles, from being processed for payment and/or presentment. A duplicate detection module can assign a predictable and repeatable unique identifier to each ICL file and/or ICL file element. The duplicate detection module can determine whether each ICL file and/or element is a duplicate by comparing the identifier associated with the ICL file and/or element with information stored in a record of already processed files/elements. In response to determining that an ICL file and/or element is a duplicate, the duplicate detection module can determine not to process the file/element for payment and/or presentment. In response to determining that the ICL file and/or element is not a duplicate, the duplicate detection module can store information regarding the file/element in the record. For example, the stored information can include the unique identifier associated with the file/element.

Systems and methods for preventing duplicative electronic check processing

Balancing image cash letters ('ICLs') and ICL items during electronic check processing includes determining whether each item has been presented to a receiving institution for payment. A tracking module can track an incoming ICL/item's processing status using records comprising information regarding the ICL/item's status for electronic check processing events. The tracking module can present the ICL/item's processing status in one or more reports. The tracking module can balance an ICL by comparing an incoming ICL value amount with an outgoing ICL value amount. The incoming ICL value amount comprises the total value of the items in the incoming ICL. The outgoing ICL value amount comprises the total value of the items in the incoming ICL that have been presented to a receiving institution via one or more outgoing ICLs. If the amounts match, then the incoming ICL is balanced. If not, then the ICL is not balanced.

Electronic image cash letter balancing

Cash letter print verification

Monitoring an electronic check processing status of an image cash letter ('ICL') and items in the ICL includes processing each ICL item by performing at least one electronic check processing event in connection with the item. For each electronic check processing event and for each item, a record comprising information related to a status of the electronic check processing event is created. Each record is associated with the corresponding item and the ICL. A status of each item can be determined based on the information stored in the records corresponding to that item. A status of the ICL can be determined based on the status of the items from the ICL.

Electronic image cash letter monitoring

Cash letter print streams with audit data

Accommodating the data needed to process checks for payment under the Check Clearing for the 21Century Act by using expanded fields of a financial data file. The financial data file can comprise the complete, original MICR data from an original or substitute paper check. The financial data file can comprise truncated data in conventional fields F-Fand untruncated data in expanded fields F-FThe financial data file further can comprise a result from an image quality analysis performed on an electronic image of the check. The untruncated MICR data and the electronic check image can be used to correct errors in the financial data file and to present the check for payment via a substitute check or an electronic image cash letter. The truncated MICR data can be used to electronically process the check via conventional means.

Assessing the quality of an electronic image comprises determining a quality rating for the electronic image, associating image quality thresholds with purposes for electronic images, selecting the purpose that corresponds to the electronic image, identifying an image quality threshold associated with the selected purpose, and determining whether the quality rating meets the image quality threshold. The electronic image is suitable for its intended purpose if its quality rating meets the threshold.

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Kansas City, MO, United States of America

Randall Lee Mueller