TN 227 (10-22)

GN 02402.416 Coding Bermuda Bank Data on the Master Beneficiary Record (MBR)

A. Background for coding Bermuda bank data

This section describes how to code bank data for international direct deposit (IDD) of Title II benefits to a financial institution (FI) in Bermuda.

We store IDD bank data on the MBR in the same fields used for U.S. direct deposit. Special coding identifies the bank data as a Bermuda direct deposit.

This allows us to route benefit payments through the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City (FRBKC) and the processor bank in Bermuda to the beneficiary's local FI.

If you receive an IDD request in a U.S. domestic (i.e., non-border) field office (FO), forward all appropriate information to the Office of Earnings and International Operations, (OEIO), Division of International Operations (DIO) to process.

For detail on IDD requests and forwarding information, see:

  • GN 02402.201 Background and Policy for Direct Deposit Outside the U.S.

  • GN 02402.205 Direct Deposit Enrollment Outside the U.S.

  • GN 01010.255 Adjudication of Foreign Claims

  • GN 01702.310C Routing of Claims for U.S. Benefits Involving Totalization

B. How we receive IDD bank data

We receive requests to input bank data by mail, phone, or fax in the following formats:

  • Blank check;

  • SSA-1199-OP94 International Direct Deposit Signup Form for Bermuda; or

  • Any document that contains required banking information.

If you receive information with discrepancies, see the following instructions:

  • GN 00203.020 Identity of Claimants

  • GN 02402.025 Direct Deposit Post Entitlement Interview

C. Multi-country contract

The processing FI in Bermuda has a prefix of “73” at the beginning of the Routing and Transit Number (RTN).

The first letter of the Depositor Account Number (DAN) field has the letter “N” assigned for Bermuda.

D. Overview of IDD for Bermuda

IDD payments sent to Bermuda must be in U.S. Dollars (USD) accounts at local FIs. The beneficiary must provide complete information to DIO or the Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) for input. DIO faxes incomplete forms to the FBU that serves Bermuda. The FBU contacts the beneficiary or FI for the additional information.

E. Description of IDD bank data for Bermuda

The data to code IDD for Bermuda comes from banks determined by the FRBKC. The bank data on the MBR reflects 27 characters including the country code of N.

F. Policy to code bank data for Bermuda

The FRBKC relies on us to provide the complete bank data to ensure correct posting of payments to a customer’s account. If the information is incomplete, the FRBKC rejects the payment and returns the funds to us.

When you use our system to establish or change IDD bank data for Bermuda (e.g. Modernized Claims System (MCS), Manual Adjustment Credit and Award Data Entry (MACADE)), you must go to ITS.gov to enter:

  • account ownership;

  • account type;

  • account number:

  • beneficiary address; (no P.O. box address allowed)

  • country;

  • enrollment status;

  • first and last name of the beneficiary;

  • payee indicator

  • Society for Worldwide Internet Financial Telecommunication-Business Identifier Code (SWIFT-BIC).

1. Obtain SWIFT-BIC code from the FI

  • The SWIFT code consists of the following 8 to 11 alphanumeric characters:

  • First four characters - bank code (only letters);

  • Next two characters - ISO 3166-1 alpha-two country code (only letters);

  • Next two characters - location code (letters and digits) (passive participant have "1" in the second character); and

  • Last three characters - branch code, optional ('XXX' for primary office) (letters and digits).

2. Process initial award

Prior to processing an initial award, you must update ITS.gov with the bank account information to ensure that the beneficiary receives his or her payment.

If the complete bank account information is not in ITS.gov when the payment processes, the payment rejects and returns to us.

3. Add or update bank data using our systems

When you add or update IDD bank data using our system (e.g. Post Entitlement Online System (POS), MACADE), you must:

  • update ITS.gov on the same day;

  • enter all POS direct deposit changes according to normal procedures;

  • use the chart in this section when you process within four business days of the current operational month (COM) cutoff date.

    Step Action
    1

    Are you coding an initial claim?

     

    If yes, go to step 3.

     

    If no, go to step 2.

    2

    Is the beneficiary's address on the MBR in a foreign country (PCOC = 8)?

     

    If no, STOP. REASON: The MBR does not accept the IDD information unless the address is in a foreign country.

     

    If yes, go to step 3.

    3

    Is the beneficiary's account a USD account in Bermuda? If no, STOP. REASON: Beneficiaries in Bermuda can only receiveIDD payments in USD accounts.

     

    If yes, go to step 4.

    4

    The RTN is 730000011 for Bermuda. It contains the:

     

    • Multi-country prefix “73” for Bermuda IDD is

    • U.S. check digit code “1” for all IDD accounts in Bermuda (at the end of the RTN).

     

    No need to obtain the check digit code from Title II Interactive Comps.

    5

    Code the account type:

     

    • “S” for savings, or

    • “C” for checking.

     

    If the beneficiary does not indicate an account type, use a “C” for checking account.

    6

    To code the Depositor Account Number (DAN) for Bermuda, code:

     

    • N ” designated for Bermuda

    • to the first 16-digits of the 29-digit Account Number

    7

    You must take action on the same business day to enter all the information into ITS.gov as listed in the introduction of GN 02402.416F in this section.

     

    You must access ITS.gov or ask a co-worker to update the required information into ITS.gov.

     

    FRBKC rejects the payment and returns it to us when we do not send all required information.

G. Example of coding bank data for Bermuda

The customer provides us with a signup form for Bermuda containing the account number: 12345678901122334455667788990

1. Derive the RTN

Enter the information for the RTN.

  • Code the RTN of 730000011

  • Code the type of account as a “C” for checking or an “S” for savings. If no account type indicated, use a “C” for checking.

2. Derive the DAN

Code the DAN for Bermuda

  • Start with the country code of “N” designated for Bermuda; and

  • Code 16 digit of the 29-digit Customer Account Number “1234567890112233”

a. You must obtain this information

  • RTN: 730000011

  • Checking

  • DAN: N1234567890112233

b. The POS coding reflects this information

  • DIRECT DEPOSIT ROUTING TRANSIT NUMBER: 730000011

  • ACCOUNT TYPE (C/S): C

  • DEPOSITOR ACCOUNT NUMBER: N1234567890112233

  • CANCEL DIRECT DEPOSIT (Y):

  • DIRECT EXPRESS (Y):

c. The MBR reflects this information

  • RTN: 730000011

  • DAN: CN1234567890112233

H. References

  • GN 00203.020 Identity of Claimants

  • GN 01010.255 Adjudication of Foreign Claims

  • GN 01702.310C Routing of Claims for U.S. Benefits Involving Totalization

  • GN 02402.025 Direct Deposit Post Entitlement Interview

  • GN 02402.201 Background and Policy for Direct Deposit Outside the U.S.

  • GN 02402.205 Direct Deposit Enrollment Outside the U.S.

  • ITS.gov International Treasury Services (U.S. Treasury system)


To Link to this section - Use this URL:
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0202402416
GN 02402.416 - Coding Bermuda Bank Data on the Master Beneficiary Record (MBR) - 10/28/2022
Batch run: 12/06/2024
Rev:10/28/2022