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FedACH® Services

FedACH Services

Eight months and counting to the IAT transition

January 2009

Since NACHA announced its new International ACH Transaction (IAT) rule (Off-site Link) requiring all international ACH payments to be uniquely identified, financial institutions have been preparing for its implementation on September 18, 2009. All ACH participants - even those that do not currently send or receive international ACH payments - will be impacted by this rule, so advance preparations are important to ensure readiness.

Currently, receiving depository financial institutions (RDFIs) cannot identify some international ACH payments as such, because they are introduced into the U.S. ACH network using domestic SEC codes. The new IAT SEC code and format requirements will help facilitate the identification of these international payments by including additional remittance information that will make it easier for RDFIs to comply with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (Off-site Link) (OFAC) requirements. Additionally, these changes and enhancements are expected to transform the cross-border ACH payments industry in ways that may result in new opportunities for you.

Enabling more institutions to provide international services

International ACH payments offer a secure and cost-effective method to send non-urgent payments across international borders. The adoption of the new NACHA rule and format changes demonstrates that the U.S. payments system and the ACH network are adapting to the globalization of commerce and, in the process, enabling more DFIs to easily offer international ACH services to their customers.

The rule change also redefines the roles and obligations of a gateway operator, a party that acts as the entry point to or exit point from the United States. With IAT, both DFIs and ACH operators can be gateway operators. A DFI will be able to process inbound and outbound debits and credits, while ACH operators, such as the Federal Reserve Banks, will be able to process inbound credits and outbound credits and debits. These changes bring more players into the global ACH payments arena, which will result in the overall growth of the cross-border ACH market.

Resources to help you prepare

Before the September 2009 rule change takes effect, DFIs and ACH software and service providers must be prepared to handle an IAT entry in accordance with NACHA rules and with U.S. law, such as OFAC requirements.

To help you prepare, the Federal Reserve Banks and our industry partners, including NACHA (Off-site Link) and regional payments associations (Off-site Link), offer an array of training resources to help you work proactively with your operations and vendors on software, screening, testing and other readiness issues.

A variety of tools are available in our IAT Resource Center, including the following:

  • Step-by-step readiness checklists for originating depository financial institutions (ODFIs) and RDFIs
  • Materials for software vendors and service providers
  • An online audio presentation entitled, “Understanding New Requirements in the ACH Network: International ACH Transaction (IAT)”

Additionally, authorized ACH sending and receiving points can assess their ability to process the new IAT SEC code by scheduling IAT testing with the Federal Reserve Banks.

Additional information will be shared in future issues of FedFocus. If you have questions, please contact your FedACH® sales specialist.

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