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Q:
What is the E-Payments Routing Directory?
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A: The E-Payments Routing Directory provides basic routing information for FedACH transactions and Fedwire Funds and Book-Entry Securities transfers.
This information is synchronized with the Federal Reserve Banks′ FedACH and Fedwire databases daily and is provided free of charge solely as a service to financial institutions to settle and process
payments and securities transactions efficiently. The information in the directory may not be sold, re-licensed, or otherwise used for commercial gain.
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Q: What hours can the E-Payments Routing Directory be accessed by customers?
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A: The E-Payments Routing Directory is available 24 hours a day, 6.5 days per week. The directory is unavailable from midnight Saturdays through noon Sundays (Eastern Time).
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Q: Is access to the E-Payments Routing Directory restricted to users within the United States?
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A: No, the E-Payments Routing Directory can be accessed by any user in any part of the world that has a PC and meets the technical
requirements for using the E-Payments Routing Directory web site. The requirements are as follows: a personal computer, Internet access, any web browser that supports HTML 3.2 or later. In addition, 128-bit encryption is required to download the directory.
The directory is provided free of charge solely as a service to financial institutions to settle and process payments and securities transactions efficiently.
The information in the directory may not be sold, re-licensed, or otherwise used for commercial gain.
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Q: How often is the information in the directory updated?
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A: Information in the E-Payments Routing Directory is updated daily by 5:00 a.m. (Eastern Time.)
The effective date of the data is published at the bottom of the search screens.
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Q: Is the status of an institution in the directory the same as the status of the institution in the FedACH and Fedwire systems?
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A: Yes, each institution's status in the directory corresponds directly with its status in the FedACH and Fedwire databases as of the close of business the previous business day.
The information in the E-Payments Routing Directory web site is derived directly from these databases and reloaded on the web site each day.
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Q: I want to make changes to my institution's status. How do I do this?
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| A: To change FedACH information for your institution, please contact the FedACH Support Office for your Federal Reserve District.
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FedACH Central Operations Support Site Reserve Banks Supported
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Atlanta |
Boston (1) |
| New York (2) |
| Philadelphia (3) |
Toll Free: (866) 234-5681 | Cleveland (4) |
| Richmond (5) |
E-mail: achoperations.atl@atl.frb.org | Atlanta (6) |
Fax: (404) 498-8600 | Chicago (7) |
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Minneapolis | St. Louis (8) |
| Minneapolis (9) |
| Kansas City (10) |
| Dallas (11) |
Toll Free: (866) 234-5681 | San Francisco (12) |
E-mail: mpls.achcustserv@mpls.frb.org |
Fax: (612) 629-4150 |
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To change your institution's status on the Fedwire Funds Service or the Fedwire Securities Service, please contact the Wholesale Operations Site for your district.
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Q: How do I get a print copy of the directory?
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A: The Federal Reserve Banks no longer provide print copies of the directory. However, similar information is available in print from many commercial sources.
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Q: Is there a fee for downloading the E-Payments Routing Directory?
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A:
No, the information found in the E-Payments Routing Directory service is provided free of charge.
However, the directory is provided solely as a service to financial institutions to settle and process payments and securities transactions efficiently. The information in the directory may not be sold, re-licensed, or otherwise used for commercial gain.
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Q: How do I download the directory?
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A: From the E-Payments Routing Directory Home Page, (www.FedEDirectory.frb.org), click on Download E-Payments Routing Directories.
To receive all Fedwire or FedACH participant information, click on "Receive All Fedwire Participants" or "Receive All FedACH Participant RDFIs with commercial receipt volume".
You may also receive updates to Fedwire or FedACH participants′ status since a specified date by entering a date (MM/DD/YYYY) and pressing ENTER.
The directory will appear on your screen. Save it by clicking on File, Save As… from your browser's menu. This completes the download; you should access the file from the location to which you saved it.
Please note: The file you download is a plain text file and may appear "jumbled" on your screen. This file can be imported into a spreadsheet or database manager using the text file format specifications published on the web site.
These specifications can be accessed by clicking on the Fedwire Directory File Format or FedACH Directory File Format
options on the Download E-Payments Routing Directories
screen.
Please note that the directory is provided free of charge solely as a service to financial institutions to settle and process payments and securities transactions efficiently. The information in the directory may not be sold, re-licensed, or otherwise used for commercial gain.
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Q: When I click on the option to receive all Fedwire or FedACH participants, I get a file that looks all jumbled. What happened?
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A:
The file download is a plain text file that can be used with any spreadsheet or database management software. This file can be saved and imported into a spreadsheet or database manager using the file format specifications published on the web site. These specifications can be accessed by clicking on the Fedwire Directory File Format or
FedACH Directory File Format options on the Download E-Payments Routing Directories screen.
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Q: I had trouble downloading the directory and was prompted with "unable to download without a certificate". What is a certificate and how do I obtain it?
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A:
When you download the directory for the first time, you will be led through a series of prompts to generate a new web site certificate. The certificate ensures that encryption is employed to protect the file during transmission to your browser. The certificate does not authenticate your identity or the identity of the Federal Reserve's server. If you indicate that you will accept the certificate, you will be able to download the directory.
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Q: I've downloaded the file. How do I import it into a MicrosoftExcel spreadsheet?
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A: Upload the file using Excel's Text Import Wizard.
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- From Excel's File pull-down menu, select Open.
- Open the file from the location where you saved the downloaded file.
- Follow Excel's Text Import Wizard steps.
- Wizard Step 1 asks you to select the type of file you are opening. Select fixed width.
- Wizard step 2 allows you to set field widths (column breaks). Use the file format published on the Download page of this Internet site to determine where to place column breaks.
- Wizard Step 3 asks you to select a format for each column. Select Text for all columns.
- Click on Finish and you're done.
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Now you can use sort or print the directory using Excel!
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Q: How do I import the downloaded directory file into MicrosoftAccess?
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A: Upload the file using Access's Import Wizard.
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- From Access's File pull-down menu, select New Database. Create a blank database.
- From the Tables tab, select New.
- From the pop-up menu, select Import Table.
- Select the file you want to import (the directory file you just downloaded).
- Follow Access's Wizard steps.
- Wizard Step 1 will ask you to define the type of file you are importing. Select Fixed Width.
- Wizard Step 2 will ask you to define the field breaks (column breaks). Use the
download file format published on the Directory Download page of this web site
to determine placement of the breaks.)
- Next, the Wizard will ask you if you want to put the data into an existing table or
a new table. Select New Table.
- Wizard Step 3 asks you to select a format for each column. Select Text for all.
- Next you will be asked to select a primary key. You may select a primary key or you may opt not to, depending on how you plan to use the data.
- The final step is to provide a name for the table.
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Now you can sort or print the directory using Access!
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Q: The E-Payments Routing Directory full file downloads are in routing number order. How can I sort by other fields?
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A:
After successfully downloading the directory, you can import the file into a spreadsheet such as Microsoft Excel or a database manager such as Microsoft Access using the directory file format published on this web site. Use the sort option of your spreadsheet or database manager to sort by any field desired.
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Q: I am using my company's PC to download the directory and am concerned about space issues. How big is the downloaded file, both in its text form and in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet format?
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A: The text download is approximately 1 megabyte (MB). The file, when imported into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, is approximately twice that size (2 MB).
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Q: Can I download the directory file using FTP (File Transfer Protocol)?
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A: There is no FTP capability for downloading the E-Payments Routing Directory. The directory can be downloaded in text format via HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol - Secured), a protocol that encrypts the directory's text file in transit.
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Q: What are the Fedwire Funds Service and the Fedwire Securities Service?
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A:
The Fedwire Funds Service is the real-time gross settlement electronic payments service owned and operated by the Federal Reserve Banks. The Fedwire Securities Service is a real-time gross settlement book-entry securities service owned and operated by the Federal Reserve Banks that allows for the immediate, simultaneous delivery of securities against payment. Fedwire participants are primarily depository institutions acting on behalf of themselves and their customers. Additional details about the Fedwire Funds Service and the Fedwire Securities Service can be found on the Federal Reserve Financial Services web site (www.frbservices.org) by clicking on Fedwire.
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Q: What is FedACH?
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FedACH is the Federal Reserve Banks′ Automated Clearing House for financial institutions. The FedACH offers financial institutions, corporations, and consumers an efficient alternative payment method to writing, collecting, and processing paper checks. Additional details about FedACH can be found on the Federal Reserve Financial Services web site (www.frbservices.org) by clicking on FedACH.
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Q: What is the FedACH Composite Receiver File (CRF)?
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A:
The composite receiver file or CRF is a routing directory of FedACH participant RDFIs with commercial receipt volume.
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Q: How do I find the telephone number for an FedACH participant?
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A: From the E-Payments Routing Directory Home Page, (www.FedEDirectory.frb.org), click on Search for FedACH Participant RDFIs. Enter the FedACH participant name, location or routing number and click on search. The FedACH participant information will appear on your screen. Click on the routing number or "More" button to view the telephone number.
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