General Questions
Should the loan/share download include closed or charged-off accounts?
No. Ideally, the loan/share download includes only open, active loan and share data. We added field 33, Charge Off Amount, to accommodate files with charge off data or partial loan charge offs.
Close and return to topWhat should be entered in a field if no data is available?
Please leave the field blank.
Close and return to topAre fields fixed in length?
No. You do not have to add leading zeros to meet the maximum number of characters for each field.
Close and return to topSince we should provide the examiner with a list of the credit union’s loan and share codes, is there a required format (paper vs. electronic)?
No. The goal is to provide the examiner with enough information to properly read and understand the loan/share data.
Close and return to topShare Record Layout
Does the share certificate account number need to be unique (field 2)?
Yes. You could simply append a sequence number to each certificate account number.
Close and return to topIf a member has a foreign address, do you want it reported?
Yes. You could use the “Other” Street Address (field 8) with up to 30 alphanumeric characters to fit the foreign address information.
Close and return to topIn the case of a rollover share certificate, what should be included in field 12, Certificate Date Granted?
The most recent rollover or renewal date.
Close and return to topFor tiered rate share certificates, what should we include in field 14, Dividend Rate?
Report the highest dividend rate and explain data to the examiner.
Close and return to topShould we include minimum balances or check holds in field 16, Share Amount Frozen?
No. Only include the dollar amount of shares pledged as collateral for a loan or frozen due to a tax levy, deceased member, etc.
Close and return to topWhat is the difference between Last Activity Code, field 17, and Last File Maintenance Date, field 19?
Last activity code identifies the most recent financial transaction (e.g. Withdrawal) and last file maintenance date identifies the most recent date of a non-financial account transaction (eg. Change of address).
Close and return to topLoan Record Layout
In the past, we included the member’s entire middle name rather than just the middle initial (field 3). Will this cause a problem?
No, but the Member’s Name field is limited to 41 characters.
Close and return to topDo you want field 12, Loan Term, expressed in a certain segment as in always number of months or should we convert the term to the number of payments per year?
We typically see the number of months in this field. It should correspond with field 13, Payment Frequency Code.
Close and return to topIf our client credit union obtains credit scores from more than one credit bureau, how do we determine the “most dominant” score (field 32)?
Your client credit union should determine which credit score to use in the loan download.
Close and return to topHow should we calculate the number of remaining payments, field 35?
For closed end loans, you can calculate the data based on the time since the loan date and the number of payments that should have been made. We can accept a reasonable estimate for the number of payments remaining. For open end loans, leave field 35 blank.
Close and return to topFor field 33, Charge Off Amount, the layout specifications table indicates a numerical field length of 15 with no decimal places. However, the narrative field description indicates two decimal places. Which format is correct?
AIRES will accept field 33 data with or without two decimal places.
Close and return to topTips
Please keep in mind the following:
- All files should be tab delimited with a carriage return/line feed at the end of every record.
- Do not mix share and loan records within the same download file.
- Each file must contain only share or loan records. The download files may be split into multiple share and multiple loan files.