If incorrect payments went to an FI in France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, or United Kingdom, the appropriate FBU sends a reclamation letter and a response form to the FI and diaries for 30 days. The letter requests the FI to return the funds to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s (FRBNY) account at the contractor FI for that country.

If the FI has not responded within 30 days, the FBU follows up on the reclamation request and diaries for an additional 30 days. If the FI does not refund the money, or if it refunds only part of the money, the FBU notifies the Office of Earnings and International Operations (OEIO) of the efforts made, and the results of the reclamation request.

If incorrect payments went to an FI in Mexico, the FBU sends a letter to the estate or the survivors of the deceased beneficiary. Mexican banking law does not allow FIs to release any money from a customer’s account without a signed agreement from the account holder. They do not accept a statement after the account holder is dead, regardless of when the statement was made. The FBU in Mexico does not send any reclamation requests to an FI in Mexico.