Bank Positive Pay is an anti-fraud service offered by US commercial banks. It protects payers against altered checks and counterfeit check fraud. Since the Positive Pay file format varies depending on the receiving bank, the Advantage Positive Pay functionality provides a flexible process for sites to configure the Positive Pay file format according to each bank’s file specification and to generate the Positive Pay file according to those specifications.
The initial setup of the Positive Pay functionality requires the entry of values on the Bank, Check Status Mapping, and Positive Pay Configuration tables. These set up control if the Positive Pay file is generated and the way the Positive Pay file(s) are generated. Refer to each of the associated topics in this user guide for more information.
The Generate Positive Pay batch process creates the Positive Pay files of disbursed and cancelled checks. This job should be run after all disbursements have been generated, printed, and posted. The Generate Positive Pay job should be executed before the Check Reconciliation job is executed because the Positive Pay files should include cancelled checks. If executed after Check Reconciliation, the cancelled checks are moved off to the Paid Check (PDCHK) table. This job does not select voided checks (Status of Void or Renumbered) because voided checks were not issued/sent to vendors.
The process reads the batch parameters and creates the Positive Pay file(s) as defined by the Positive Pay Template and Positive Pay Fields (collectively the Positive Pay Configuration page) tables. The following are the high-level details about the Generate Positive Pay batch process:
The system generates a file for each Bank Account Code based on the Positive Pay Template ID on the Bank table. The Bank Account Code(s) are entered as batch parameters. Each file is created with the file structure defined on the Positive Pay Configuration page for the specified Positive Pay Template ID.
The file is created with data in the sequence defined on the Positive Pay Configuration page within the specified Record Type (Header, Detail, and Summary). If there are no Positive Pay Field records for one or two of the Record Types, the file is still created (for example, Detail only, Header and Detail only, etc.). It is not necessary to have all Record Types in the file. However, if there are no Record Types (i.e., no file structure) defined for the Template ID, the Bank Account is skipped and written to the log to indicate that no Positive Pay Fields records have been defined for the specified Bank Account Code. Also, if the structure with the Record Type of Detail is missing, the batch job skips the record for the Bank Account Code and writes a message to the log that the Positive Pay template is missing Record Type of Detail. The purpose for Positive Pay files is to inform banks of check records that were issued for the specified period. If the details are missing, the Positive Pay file would not serve its purpose.
Selection Criteria: Based on the entered batch parameters, the system selects records from the Check Reconciliation (CHREC) table where the Print Status Indicator is equal to Printed or Re-Printed on the Final version of the corresponding transaction/record. Print Status is found on the disbursement transaction header or the CW Header table. Also, the Positive Pay job only selects check records that are greater than zero dollars (Check Amount).
Please see the “Generate Positive Pay” run sheet in the CGI Advantage Accounts Payable Run Sheets for more information.