Operational Practices

Discover a wealth of information and recommendations on issues identified in the image-based clearing environment. Review the links provided here for assistance in common issues experienced by the members of our organizations and to learn more about the image-based clearing environment.

• Duplicate Prevention and Detection (pdf)
  Review guidelines to assist institutions of all sizes in the prevention of duplicates and failing that, in the detection of duplicate payments.
  
  
• Resolving Duplicates as Adjustments versus Returns (pdf)
  Understand the decision of handling duplicates received by the paying bank that are discovered within the legal required return time windows.
  
  
• Ways to Use Check 21
  Review the variety of applications your institution can use to create substitute checks, including Remote Deposit Taking, Image Exchange/Truncation, and Lockbox Application.
  
  
• Operational/Implementation Issues (pdf)
  Learn about issues associated with the creation of substitute checks and/or image exchange. This comprehensive document includes diagrams of potential transaction flows under an image exchange process, outlines the standards that have been developed for the creation of substitute checks, and discusses the processing of these items including issues that may arise as well as many other pertinent topics.
  
  
• Avoiding Duplicates (pdf)
  Learn the proper procedures for handling duplicate substitute checks whether your institution is responsible for creating duplicates or your institution is receiving duplicates.
  
  
• Dashes and Spaces in Substitute Checks and Images (pdf)
  Discover the impact to an institution of a change to the MICR line of a substitute check.
  
  
• Endorsements
  View a pictorial representation of an "Image and Document" flow overview showing how endorsements will be transferred and/or applied as items flow from original checks to electronic images and IRDs.