Managing foreign payments in an international ACH

• US 7,580,886 B1
• Filed: 09/12/2005
• Issued: 08/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta (Federal Reserve System)
• Original Assignee: Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta (Federal Reserve System)
• Inventors: Schulz, Larry
• Primary Examiner(s): Karmis; Stefanos
• Assistant Examiner(s): Weis; Samuel S.
• Application Number:
  US11/224,380
• Time in Patent Office: 1,443 Days
• Field of Search: 705 35- 40
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/023 the neutral party being a clearing house
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/381 Currency conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03

Abstract

Managing foreign payments in an International ACH. An originating depository financial institution (“ODFI”) can create an ACH item designating a fixed amount of foreign currency to be credited to, or a fixed amount of domestic currency to be debited from, a receiving depository financial institution. In a variable to fixed payment, a conversion module of the ODFI or a gateway operator can determine a foreign exchange (“FX”) conversion rate. Using the FX conversion rate, the conversion module can calculate a domestic currency amount or a foreign currency amount corresponding to the desired foreign/domestic currency payment. The conversion module can enter the FX conversion rate and/or the determined domestic/foreign currency amount into the ACH item for processing via the International ACH. In a fixed to fixed payment, the ODFI can transmit information about the foreign currency payment via the International ACH and settle the payment via ACH or non-ACH means.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing a foreign payment in an international automated clearinghouse (“

ACH”

) comprising the steps of;

receiving at a domestic gateway operator computer system a plurality of ACH items, each of the ACH items designating, in a foreign currency, a payment amount to be transmitted from an originating depository financial institution located in the United States to a receiving depository financial institution located in a foreign country;

transmitting via the domestic gateway operator computer system the ACH items to a foreign gateway operator located in the foreign country;

calculating via the domestic gateway operator computer system a foreign settlement amount comprising a total amount of money, in foreign currency, needed to settle the plurality of ACH items between the originating depository financial institution and the foreign gateway operator by aggregating the payment amounts of the plurality of ACH items; and

transmitting an instruction to pay the foreign settlement amount from the domestic gateway operator computer system to the originating depository financial institution.

2. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the step of receiving at the domestic gateway operator computer system the ACH items comprises the step of unbundling each ACH item from at least one ACH file in the NACHA file format.

3. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving at the domestic gateway operator computer system, from the originating depository financial institution, another ACH item, in response to the instruction to pay the foreign settlement amount.

4. The computer-implemented method according to claim 3, wherein the other ACH item designates a foreign currency payment amount comprising the foreign settlement amount.

5. The computer-implemented method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of transmitting the other ACH item to the foreign gateway operator.

6. A computer-implemented method for managing a foreign payment in an international automated clearinghouse (“

ACH”

), comprising the steps of;

creating at a domestic originating depository financial institution a plurality of ACH items, each of the plurality of ACH items designating, in a foreign currency, a payment amount to be transmitted from the domestic originating depository financial institution to a receiving depository financial institution located in a foreign country;

transmitting the ACH items from a computer system of the domestic originating depository financial institution to a domestic gateway operator computer system;

receiving, at the domestic originating depository financial institution computer system, from the domestic gateway operator computer system, a notification of a settlement amount comprising a total amount of money, in foreign currency, needed to settle the plurality of ACH items between the domestic originating depository financial institution and a foreign gateway operator located in the foreign country, the settlement amount comprising a sum of the payment amounts of the plurality of ACH items; and

responsive to receiving the notification of the settlement, crediting via the originating depository financial institution computer system an account of the foreign gateway operator in foreign currency, the credit comprising the settlement amount.

7. The computer-implemented method according to claim 6, wherein the step of transmitting the ACH items to the domestic gateway operator computer system comprises the steps of:

collecting the ACH items in at least one ACH file in the NACHA file format; and

transmitting each ACH file to the domestic gateway operator computer system.

8. The computer-implemented method according to claim 6, wherein the step of crediting the account of the foreign gateway operator comprises the step of transmitting a wire payment to the foreign gateway operator.

9. The computer-implemented method according to claim 6, wherein the step of crediting the account of the foreign gateway operator comprises the step of transmitting a payment instruction to a correspondent bank of the originating depository financial institution.

10. The computer-implemented method according to claim 6, wherein the step of crediting the account of the foreign gateway operator comprises the step of transmitting a new ACH item to the domestic gateway operator.

11. A computer-implemented method for managing a foreign payment in an international automated clearinghouse (“

ACH”

), comprising the steps of;

receiving at a domestic gateway operator computer system, from an originating depository financial institution located in the United States, a plurality of ACH items, each of the plurality of ACH items designating, in a foreign currency, a payment amount to be transmitted from a receiving depository financial institution located in a foreign country to the originating depository financial institution;

transmitting via the domestic gateway operator computer system the ACH items to a foreign gateway operator located in the foreign country;

calculating via the domestic gateway operator computer system a credit amount comprising a total amount of money, in foreign currency, needed to settle the plurality of ACH items between the receiving depository financial institution and the originating depository financial institution by aggregating the payment amounts of the plurality of ACH items; and

transmitting a notification of the credit amount from the domestic gateway operator computer system to the originating depository financial institution.

12. The computer-implemented method according to claim 11, wherein the step of receiving at the domestic gateway operator computer system the ACH items comprises the step of unbundling each ACH item from at least one ACH file in the NACHA file format.