November 2026 Release Frequently Asked Questions

1. How does the hybrid address format work?

   The hybrid postal address format will apply to all parties/agents across all ISO^® 20022 messages.

   • The Postal Address component can only be used when the Name element is used.
   • If Postal Address is used, then at a minimum, the structured elements Town Name and Country are always required.
   • Additional postal address information (e.g., Street Name, Building Number, Post Code) should be provided using the structured elements to the extent possible.
   • If needed, two occurrences of a free-formatted Address Line element (up to 70 characters each) may be used. However, these should never be used as standalone elements; rather, they are supplemental to the minimum requirement — the structured Town Name and Country elements.
   • Information present in structured elements should never be repeated in the free-formatted Address Line elements.

   
   
2. With the November 2026 release, is the creditor's postal address required in a customer credit transfer (pacs.008) or drawdown request (pain.013) message?

   There is no change with the November 2026 release. While the Fedwire^® Funds Service's message format specifications do not require the creditor's postal address in a pacs.008 or pain.013 message, you should consult your compliance and legal departments on what information (e.g., creditor's postal address) you may need to include in messages to satisfy your compliance obligations. A Fedwire sender should also check with the Fedwire receiver and any other bank that may process the transfer to understand additional requirements that they may have to ensure straight-through processing (e.g., creditor's postal address in addition to the creditor's name).

3. We are already using the fully structured postal address. Can you confirm there is no impact to us?

   If you are already using the fully structured postal address format for your originations, no additional changes are needed. Customers currently using the fully unstructured address format must be ready to use the fully structured or hybrid postal address format.

4. How do we handle a return payment on or after Nov. 16, 2026, if the original payment includes the unstructured postal address format?

   This specific use case is addressed in Payments Market Practice Group's “Industry guidance on the introduction of the hybrid postal address” document on Payment Market Practice Group's webpage (Off-site).

5. How will prior-day retrievals work for FedLine Direct^® users?

   Customers should keep copies of their messages leading up to the November 2026 implementation weekend. Prior-day retrievals will be supported as follows:

   • On Monday, customers can only retrieve November 2026 version messages from the current day (Monday)
   • On Tuesday, customers can retrieve November 2026 version messages from the current day (Tuesday) and only one prior business day (Monday)
   • On Wednesday, customers can retrieve November 2026 version messages from the current day (Wednesday) and two prior business days (Monday and Tuesday)
   • On Thursday, customers can retrieve November 2026 version messages from the current day (Thursday) and two prior business days (Tuesday and Wednesday)

   
   
6. Will the FedTransaction Analyzer^® tool change with the November 2026 release?

   A minor change will be made to the FedTransaction Analyzer tool to handle rare cases where postal addresses exceed 600 characters, by truncating the address and adding a '+' indicator at the end.

7. For peer-to-peer testing, will FRFS provide test scenarios that we should follow?

   FRFS is planning to provide test scenarios in the month of June.

8. When will registration begin for peer-to-peer testing?

   FRFS is planning to begin the registration process in the month of June.

9. What happens if the Fedwire Funds Service encounters an issue with the November 2026 release after go-live?

   Consistent with prior customer-facing initiatives, FRFS will not fall back to the previous version of the Fedwire Funds Service if issues arise after the deployment of the November 2026 changes to the production environment. Instead, we will follow a “fix in place” strategy, implementing software updates once a fix has been identified and fully tested.

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