FAQs

Below is a list of commonly asked questions from Clients and centralized answers for quick and easy access. If the FAQs below don't answer your question please reach out to your Newline Specialist and we'll get you the support needed!

Onboarding

How does your API design handle Idempotency?

• For any request made to one of our endpoints, Newline requires a header parameter, listed as x_trace_id. The x_trace_id is a unique identifier, and duplicate values submitted in requests within 7 days of each other will cause the request to be rejected.

What APIs are available to me in Sandbox?

• Newline maintains key features in Sandbox for Client quality assurance and future Customer program design. This guide contains a Sandbox vs. Production, environment differences section, detailing the endpoints available in either environment.

Message Queue (MQ)

What MQ events are generated when a Client or Customer receives a payment or requested debit that was externally originated?

• Incoming Transactions generate multiple events, from the Transactions topic when ledgered. In these cases, MQ will generate two events: this first being a "Transaction Created" event, with the status as pending, and the second being a "Transaction Status Updated" event, with the Transaction status being updated to settled.

How can Clients identify externally received transactions vs. platform generated transactions?

• Incoming Transactions can be identified by referring to the transfer_uid field provided in the event body. If the transfer_uid value is null, it means the Transaction generated was originated outside of Newline. For clarification, incoming transactions are considered externally originated, while a debit that pulls money from a Counterparty (ex. ACH ODFI pull) and credits a Client or Customer's account are considered Newline originated.

When will Subscriptions receive duplicate copies of event messages?

• When those Subscriptions have unique Subscription IDs. If Subscriptions utilize the same Subscription ID, Newline provides one copy of the message to a Subscription, and the selection process is in-determinant.

Accounts

Virtual Reference Numbers (VRNs)

Can VRNs originate payments?

• No, VRNs can only be used to accept payments.

Are VRNs automatically registered for Instant Payment acceptance?

• Yes. The VRN is automatically registered for Instant Payment acceptance, even if the Client does not choose synchronous_registration. This asynchronous process can take up to several seconds, and the Client can be notified by either polling the get a single Virtual Reference Number endpoint or listening for the VRN Instant Payment rail registration status change event through MQ.

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Note

For Virtual Reference Number (VRN) Instant Payment rail registration, depends on the Client or Customer having purchased access to the Instant Payment rail. If a Client or Customer has not purchased access to Instant Payments, they can still utilize VRNs to receive ACH entries and Wire payments; however, their VRNs will, by default, have a rail registration status of unregistered.

Payments and Reporting

ACH

When does the transaction have to be sent relative to the settlement date?

• Transactions must be sent at least one (1) business day prior to the effective date, unless sending a Same-Day ACH transaction.

How many addenda records can each ACH entry carry?

• It depends on the SEC code. We support CCD, PPD, CIE, and WEB, all of which only support 1 addenda record. Please see the above section about SEC codes and use cases.

What is the timeframe for an ACH transaction to be returned as unauthorized if it is a CCD entry?

• 2 business days after the RDFI (or Receiving Depository Financial Institution) has posted the item to the Counterparty's account.

What is the timeframe for an ACH debit sent to a consumer account to be returned as unauthorized?

• 60 days

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Note

This does not negate consumer protection rights for unauthorized activity under Regulation E for ETAs.

How many business days after the settlement date of a transaction may a reversal be issued?

• 5 days. After 5 days, a recall may be issued.

What is the deadline for sending a Sameday ACH entry?

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Note

It is best practice to send payments at least 5 minutes prior to each window, as this assumes the payments and totals (calculated by Newline) are processed with no issue. Additionally, all times for funds availability are in the receiving bank's local processing time.

What is the transaction limit for Same-day ACH entries?

• $1,000,000

What happens if a batch is submitted for Same-day settlement and contains one or more entries over $1,000,000?

• All entries in the batch are processed and the items over $1,000,000 are assigned the next business day’s settlement date, whereas the remaining items receive same day settlement.

Book Transfers

How are Book Transfers and Peer-to-peer Transfers different?

• Peer-to-peer Transfers occur between two different Customers within the same Client Program.

Do Book Transfers result in money movement between Custodial Accounts?

• This depends on the Synthetic Account to Custodial Account mapping. For example, if a Client or Customer maintains a 1:1 relationship between Synthetic and Custodial Accounts, corresponding debits and credits will appear as Custodial line items. If a Client or Customer maintain two Synthetic Accounts tied to the same Custodial Account, then no Custodial line item will be generated; instead, the Synthetic Account balances will be updated to represent the asset exchange.

Instant Payments

What are the benefits of using Instant Payments?

• Instant Payments provide the ability to conveniently send and receive immediate funds transfers directly from accounts at financial institutions. With instant settlement of funds, Instant Payments improve liquidity, planning and reduces the delays due to back-office efforts associated with other payment types.

What are the transaction parameters?

• Maximum payment amount is $1MM, however you may limit your maximum payment value through the implementation process to manage your risk.
• Credit-push only.
• Funds are available immediately and are irrevocable.
• Domestic only transactions.
• 140 alphanumeric characters can be included with each payment.

What does irrevocable mean?

• Once transmitted, payment instructions are final and may not be changed, revoked or stopped by Customer.

When can you send or receive an Instant Payment?

• Instant Payments can be sent or received every day of the year, 24 hours a day.

How do I find out more about a rejected payment?

• Please refer to our API Errors guide for the codes and descriptions, but please reach out to your Newline Specialist or Relationship team for more information or if you have additional questions.

Can we request an Instant Payments transaction to be sent back if there was a mistake?

• The RTP network does support what is known as a Request for Return of Funds. Clients may request that Newline initiate a Request for Return of Funds related to an Instant Payment for any reason including for an unauthorized, erroneous or fraudulent payment by reaching out to your Newline Specialist and allowing the Newline team time to initiate the Request for Return of Funds on the Client’s behalf. Please refer to the Terms and Conditions for additional information and specific details.

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Warning

A Request for Return of Funds (RfRFs) is never guaranteed. When and if a RfRF is submitted and returned, your account will be credited accordingly.

Wire

What if there is a wrong account number, wrong bank name, or wrong account name?

• There is a distinction between “wrong” and “invalid”. If any of the information is “invalid”, meaning it is not a true ABA, or bank name, the result is as stated above. However, if the instructions contain valid ABA and bank names, but cause the Wire to go to the “wrong” bank, the result should be that the receiving bank is unable to process and then returns the transaction back according to their processing rules.
• Additionally, if the correct ABA/SWIFT BIC and bank name are entered however the counterparty account number is wrong, the counterparty bank will return the wire or post the funds if the account number is valid at the counterparty bank. Wires are irrevocable, final payments settled continuously throughout the day and validation of the counterparty payment instructions is essential.
• If you are aware of any invalid information, please contact your Relationship team to open an investigation.

When one of our transactions is returned to Newline because of incorrect info, will our account be credited for the amount of the Wire?

• Yes, if the Wire error was detected prior to Fed or CHIPS release, you are notified of return Wires and may reinitiate as processing deadlines allow. In the event that the Wire bypasses our systemic routing instruction edits and the counterparty bank is returns the wire, there may be handling fees lifted from the original Wire amount by the counterparty bank.

What information is included when posting domestic incoming / outgoing Wires?

• Fedwire Reference Number (IMAD), if processed by the Federal Reserve
• CHIPS System Sequence Number (SSN) (7-digit), if processed by CHIPS
• SWIFT Unique End-to-End Transaction Reference (UETR) (36-character alphanumeric), if processed by SWIFT
• Bank Reference Number (NNNNNN-NNNNNN; Transaction Number) if enacted internally.

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Note

Newline does not support international wires, so UETRs will not be returned for any processed wire. Additionally, the Bank Reference Number is not returned in the Transaction object. If you'd like that information, please reach out to your Newline Specialist.

Would the use of registered agent address would result in wire rejections by the bank?

• No. The use of a registered agent address would not cause wires to be rejected.