FedPayments^® Manager – Funds Import Contingency Service Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why is Federal Reserve Financial Services (FRFS) offering the FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service?

   On September 14, 2023, FRFS announced that the phone-based Fedwire^® Funds Offline Service will be retired, effective December 31, 2024. After year-end, customers that access the Fedwire Funds Service via a FedLine^® connection will no longer be able to use the Fedwire Funds Offline Service as a last-resort contingency option to send their Fedwire Funds Service messages. The new FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service will provide a last-resort contingency-only service that could help Fedwire Funds Service participants send a limited number of messages if they experience an issue with their internal payment application, FedLine Direct^® connection or FedLine Advantage^® connection. The service will not allow you to receive and export your incoming messages in a contingency situation. See additional details in question 6 below.

2. What is the FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service?

   The FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service is a last-resort contingency-only service designed to support individual customers that are experiencing an issue accessing the Fedwire Funds Service through a FedLine Solution. The service is meant to be used infrequently and will not be capable of supporting widespread customer outages; however, it could be incorporated into your business continuity plans to address certain contingency situations (e.g., issues with your payment application or FedLine connection). The service will:

   • Be available to Fedwire Funds Service participants with access to the service via a FedLine Advantage connection and access to the FedPayments Manager – Funds application (either a primary or a backup connection).
   • Allow FRFS staff, on behalf of a Fedwire Funds Service customer, to import/upload a preformatted Excel^® template that contains limited information for bank transfer and customer transfer messages to the FedPayments Manager – Funds application during a contingency situation.
   • Support a greater number of transactions during contingency than can be supported today using the manual Fedwire Funds Offline Service.
   • Be available during the entire Fedwire Funds Service operating day (Monday through Friday 9 p.m. ET on the prior day to 7 p.m. ET), though FRFS may not be able to process a file sent close to the 7 p.m. ET closing time for the Fedwire Funds Service.

    
3. Will the FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service be a replacement for the Fedwire Funds Offline Service?

   No. The FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service will NOT replace the Fedwire Funds Offline Service as a primary option for customers to send their Fedwire Funds Service messages. Rather, it will only be available as a last-resort contingency-only service that could help Fedwire Funds Service customers send certain messages if they experience an issue with their internal payment application, FedLine Direct connection or FedLine Advantage connection.

4. What is the difference between the existing import feature of the FedPayments Manager – Funds application and the new FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service?

   The following table describes the differences between the existing import feature and the new import contingency service.

   	Existing import feature	New import contingency service
   Type of usage	Can be used as the primary method to send outgoing Fedwire Funds Service messages or in contingency if a customer has an issue with its FedLine Direct connection	Can only be used as a last-resort contingency option
   Party that can import/upload the file of outgoing messages	Customers can import/upload files on their own without FRFS assistance	Customers require FRFS assistance to import/upload an Excel file
   Types of Fedwire Funds Service Messages	All types of messages	Limited number of bank transfer messages and customer transfer messages only

    
5. Will it be mandatory to use the FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service?

   No. It will be optional for Fedwire Funds Service customers to use the FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service.

6. Will I be able to use the FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service to send and receive Fedwire Funds Service messages?

   You will only be able to use the FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service to send a limited number of critical bank transfer and customer transfer messages.

   While you will not be able to use the FedPayments Manager – Funds contingency service to receive and export your incoming messages, the funds for any incoming messages will be credited to your master account, and the messages will be queued for you to retrieve via your primary FedLine solution once you resume normal operations.

7. In what type of contingency situations would I use the FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service?

   The FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service should only be used as a last-resort contingency option to send critical bank transfer and customer transfer messages. You should establish other contingency options and try to use those options before resorting to the new service as noted in the table below:

   Primary method to access the Fedwire Funds Service	Backup methods to access the Fedwire Funds Service	Last-resort option to access the Fedwire Funds Service
   FedLine Direct Solution	Consider obtaining a backup FedLine Direct connection from another location Obtain a FedLine Advantage connection on a separate VPN from the one that was provided with your FedLine Direct connection and obtain access to the FedPayments Manager – Funds application through that FedLine Advantage connection Ensure sufficient staff is trained to manually enter critical transactions into the FedPayments Manager – Funds application High-volume customers should also ensure they are able to use the import feature of the FedPayments Manager – Funds application so that they can import a file of their Fedwire Funds Service messages rather than manually entering them into the application	FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service
   FedLine Advantage Solution with access to the FedPayments Manager – Funds application	Consider obtaining a backup FedLine Advantage connection from another location	FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service

    
8. Can we use the FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service sooner than January 2, 2025?

   No. FRFS will not be ready to support the new service until the published date of January 2, 2025.

9. What type of Fedwire Funds Service messages will be supported via the FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service?

   The FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service will not be capable of supporting all Fedwire Funds Service messages in a contingency situation. Rather, it will be limited to only bank transfers and customer transfers. It will not support cover payments or nonvalue messages (e.g., return requests, service messages).

10. How will the FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service work?

    FRFS is finalizing operational procedures to support the FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service and will provide additional details and training in late 2024. At a high level, the service will work as follows:

    • The service will be available to customers on a first-come, first-served basis. FRFS will support as many customers as possible through the service. However, FRFS would not be able to support widespread customer outages.
    • The service will only support bank transfers and customer transfers. It will not support cover payments or nonvalue messages (e.g., return requests, service messages).
    • Customers will need to enter limited message details into an Excel template that will be provided by FRFS via email or an Intralinks^® exchange. The following message details will be permitted:
      • Fedwire Sender
      • Fedwire Receiver
      • Sender Reference
      • Amount
      • Originator
      • Beneficiary
    • Customers will upload the completed template to the Intralinks exchange. FRFS staff will retrieve the template, perform a series of verifications and confirmations, and upload the completed template to the FedPayments Manager – Funds application, leveraging the import functionality. 
    • While customers will be able to use the contingency service to submit more messages than can be supported today via the Fedwire Funds Offline Service, there will be a limit (to be determined) on how many messages a customer can submit at a time. Therefore, you will need to prioritize the messages you wish to include in the file (e.g., only messages over a certain dollar amount, only messages sent to a specific Fedwire receiver).
    • Fedwire Funds Service message data entered into the Excel file will need to adhere to the following message format requirements:
      • Fedwire Application Interface Manual (FAIM) version 3.0.7 format – Between January 2, 2025, and March 7, 2025
      • ISO^® 20022 format – Beginning March 10, 2025, when the Fedwire Funds Service migrates to the ISO 20022 format

     
11. What will be the operating hours for the FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service?

    The FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service will be available during Fedwire Funds Service operating hours (Monday through Friday 9 p.m. ET on the prior day to 7 p.m. ET). Please note that FRFS may not be able to process a file sent close to the 7 p.m. closing time for the Fedwire Funds Service due to the procedural elements required to fulfill any requests.

12. Do I need to budget IT resources to prepare for the FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service?

    No. The FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service will be a last-resort contingency option for sending a limited number of bank transfer messages and customer transfer messages. You will be able to manually prepare the file.

13. Will the FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service support a contingency situation related to lost internet connectivity?

    The FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service will require an internet connection for the customer to access the Intralinks exchange. Customers should already have backup internet options in place (e.g., “Mifi” device to provide backup internet access) to support their Fedwire Funds Service operations.

14. When will more details about the FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service become available?

    A communication was sent on September 25, 2024, and FRFS intends to offer drop-in calls to help customers prepare for the FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service.

15. Will customers be able to test the FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service before January 2, 2025?

    While testing will not be required, please contact the Support Center at (833) 377-7827 (Option 3, then Option 1) for questions related to the preformatted Excel template that will be used to capture your outgoing transaction details.

16. Will there be a fee to use the FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service?

    The Federal Reserve will not charge any incremental fees for this contingency service, nor will the current offline origination/receipt surcharge be assessed because offline access to the Fedwire Funds Service will be retired at the end of 2024.

    Please note that other transaction fees and applicable surcharges published on the FRBservices.org^® website will continue to be applied, and any future fee changes will be communicated in conjunction with our annual repricing activities.

17. Will there be changes to Operating Circular 6 for the FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service?

    Yes, FRFS is revising Operating Circular 6 to reflect the terms of use for the FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service. These changes will become effective with the launch of the new service on January 2, 2025.

18. Will my organization need to submit a new Fedwire Funds Service Authorization Form to use the FedPayments Manager – Funds import contingency service?

    No, you will not need to submit a new Fedwire Funds Service Authorization Form to be able to use the new import contingency service. However, as referenced in Operating Circular 6, section 18.2, your organization is responsible for keeping the form updated and ensuring that it reflects any changes to employment, staffing and contact information.

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