Coutts Bankline frequently asked questions

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Coutts Bankline frequently asked questions

New users

Migrating customers

General

System Administrator Role

What is the System Administrator responsible for?
How is the System Administrator nominated?
How many System Administrators should we have?
Can Coutts Bankline be changed from single to dual control or vice versa?
If dual administration is selected within CrownLine all functions require secondary authorisation, is this true of Coutts Bankline?
If I want to change or create a user on CrownLine I have to submit a written request, is this the same on Coutts Bankline?

User Access Profiles

Accounts

Historic Information

Account Information

Payments & Payment Cut off Times

Security & Signing Processes

Exporting Data

Importing Data

File Transfer

Will I still be able to send secure emails into Coutts, including file attachments?

Support and Documentation

New users

What is Coutts Bankline?

Coutts Bankline is our new web-based electronic banking service for commercial clients. It will enable you to securely access your account information, real time, day and night, from anywhere in the world.

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What will I be able to do initially on Coutts Bankline?

You will be able to:

view balance and transaction information for your sterling accounts held with us, except money market deposits.
make single and bulk domestic BACS payments and create payment templates online, authorised by portable smartcard security.
generate sterling Inter Account Transfers (IATs) with transferred funds visible and available immediately.
import payment files and export balance and transaction information.

All features are automatically upgraded, so there is no additional software to install.

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What will I NOT be able to do initially on Coutts Bankline?

Initially you will not be able to access information on your money market or currency accounts held with us, nor will you be able to make CHAPs, TT payments or initiate Bankers drafts.

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At what times is the service available?

Coutts Bankline is available day and night, seven days a week, 365 days a year (subject to terms and conditions) and is supported by our Bankline Support Team throughout that time.

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Where can I access Coutts Bankline?

As long as you have access to an Internet connection and a computer with a suitable web browser, you can access Coutts Bankline from anywhere in the world. For further information please refer to the System Requirements document which is available from the Coutts Bankline website.

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What on-site training is available?

Because of the range of support resources available, most customers will not need training to be delivered on-site.

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What equipment do I need to run Coutts Bankline?

As long as you have access to an Internet connection and a computer with a suitable web browser, you can access Coutts Bankline from anywhere in the world. We also recommend Adobe Acrobat Reader^� 5.0 or above. This free software is needed to view some of the forms relating to the Coutts Bankline service. If you do not have the Reader installed already it is available as a download from Adobe�s web site. Please refer to our System Requirements document, which is available from the Coutts Bankline website, for full details.

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Who should I contact if I need further help or information with my migration/registration?

Our Bankline Support Team, available 24x7, will assist you with your migration/registration and they can be contacted on 020 7770 0004. Please note calls may be recorded.

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How much history will be available on Coutts Bankline from day one?

Historical balance and transaction data will initially be available for the past six months, increasing to 15 months. It is advisable to export or print this information regularly, as after 15 months the data will be archived from the Bank�s system.

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How many accounts can I register on Coutts Bankline?

There is currently a limit of 75 accounts but this will increase to 999 in a future release.

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How many payment templates can I set up?

There is no limit to the amount of payment templates or bulk lists you can create. Bulk lists can hold up to 1000 payments if they are created within Coutts Bankline or up to 4000 payments if they are imported.

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What information will I require to access Coutts Bankline?

You will require a Customer ID & a User ID that are advised to you by the Bank, together with a PIN and password.

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Can I choose my own PIN & Password?

Yes, a PIN must be four digits long and a Password must be between six & 20 characters. It is case sensitive & must contain at least one alphabetic & one numeric character.

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Why does the system time out after 10 minutes?

For your security, the system times out if the screen is left inactive for ten minutes but a warning box will appear prior to this happening.

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How far ahead can I forward date a payment?

Payments can be forward dated up to 180 days in advance � although you can set your preferred choice between 0 and 180 in predefined gaps. Future dated payments are held on the system until the date specified and then released against that day�s available funds.

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Why can I only view some of the vouchers?

This facility is not fully available until the next release of Coutts Bankline.

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Can I import payment files into Coutts Bankline?

Yes, the ability to import payments is available but files must be imported in comma separated value (CSV) text file format. Further information can be found in our Import File Layout User Guide, which is available on the Coutts Bankline website.

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How will intra day transactions show on Coutts Bankline?

Intra day transactions appearing throughout the day will be in bold; these transactions may still be subject to confirmation and may subsequently be reversed from the account.

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What is the cut off time for BACS payments?

The cut off time is 4.30pm, Monday to Friday excluding Bank Holidays.

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I currently export data to other systems. Does Coutts Bankline support the formats that I currently use?

Data can be exported from the new web-based Coutts Bankline service in two formats:

Comma Separated Variable (CSV) text files
Portable Document Format (PDF).

Further information can be found in our Export File Layout User Guide which is available on the Coutts Bankline website.

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How many people in my business can access the service?

There is no limit to the number of Users that you can set up to use Coutts Bankline.

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Will I see CHAPS payments as soon as they are received?

Yes, as it is a real time service you will see CHAPS payments as soon as they hit your account.

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Can I print out information, such as statements?

Yes, there is a 'Print' option on the screens within Coutts Bankline.

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Migrating customers

General

With the arrival of Coutts Bankline, what will happen to CrownLine?

Our new Internet banking service will ultimately replace CrownLine. However CrownLine will continue to be offered until such time as full payment functionality is replicated on Coutts Bankline.

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What if I do not want to migrate to Coutts Bankline?

Coutts Bankline offers a range of features via the Internet that could benefit your company immediately. All clients will be invited to register for Coutts Bankline during 2007. Whether you choose to do this immediately or at a later date is up to you. You should however be aware that Coutts Bankline will be the only way a commercial client can make a faster payment (a same day BACS payment service to be introduced in November 2007) and that ultimately CrownLine will be decommissioned.

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What if I want Coutts Bankline but still need to be able to make payments other than BACS & sterling transfers?

You may continue to use CrownLine alongside Coutts Bankline until such time as the functions you currently use within Crownline are fully available within Coutts Bankline.

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Will I be charged twice if I use both services?

No. If you dual run both services, you will be charged for the accounts registered on CrownLine only and additionally for any payments that you make on either CrownLine and/or Coutts Bankline at the standard tariff.

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System Administrator Role

What is the System Administrator responsible for?

The System Administrator has many responsibilities within Coutts Bankline including the creation of all users and the functions that they can perform such as signing payments. They are also responsible for setting and amending payment limits on the system. Coutts Bankline can be set up as a dual administration system so that certain functions have to be authorised by two Administrators who should be someone senior within your organisation.

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How is the System Administrator nominated?

The System Administrator is now nominated on the Coutts Bankline Registration Mandate which must be signed in accordance with the Bank Mandate.

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How many System Administrators should we have?

We would recommend a minimum of three System administrators, especially if the dual administration option is chosen.

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Can Coutts Bankline be changed from single to dual control or vice versa?

Unlike CrownLine, Coutts Bankline can be amended from single to dual administration and vice versa, although to move from dual to single would require secondary authorisation.

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If dual administration is selected within CrownLine all functions require secondary authorisation, is this true of Coutts Bankline?

No, Coutts Bankline is different as the System Administrator decides which functions, if any require dual authorisation.

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If I want to change or create a user on CrownLine I have to submit a written request, is this the same on Coutts Bankline?

No, written requests will no longer be required. Your System Administrator has the power to create new or amend existing users on the system. No reference to the Bank is required.

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User Access Profiles

Will I be able to use my current CrownLine logon details with the new Coutts Bankline service?

No, you will receive new security details to use with Coutts Bankline. These will include a Customer ID, user ID, password and PIN. You can continue to access CrownLine in the current manner.

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Will I still be able to restrict viewing rights for individual users so that sensitive accounts can be allocated to users on an individual basis?

It is possible to mark accounts as confidential and then restrict users from viewing these accounts by the creation of individual roles and privileges. Users with rights to view confidential accounts will be able to view all confidential accounts. It is also possible to exclude accounts from being shown on Coutts Bankline at all.

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Why does the system automatically generate a smartcard when the 'Key BACS & IATs' role is allocated to a user on Coutts Bankline?

This is a system error which we are in the process of rectifying. Once this has been corrected you will be advised via a later release. A Smartcard is not relevant to this role and it should therefore be retained by the Administrator in this instance. This issue does not create a security risk as the 'Key BACS & IATs' role does not allow the user access to the payment authorisation queue.

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Accounts

Will I still be able to allocate an account name of my choice?

The initial account name displayed will be a default name of 20 characters but you can amend this to an alias of up to 35 characters if required.

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How do I add new accounts to Coutts Bankline?

At registration the main account is listed on the Coutts Bankline Registration Mandate. All accounts linked to the same legal entity will be available for the administrator to add from a list once the service has been activated. Once live, additional accounts can be added via Coutts Bankline.

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Will I still be able to see my personal accounts on Coutts Bankline and, if so, will further paperwork be required to achieve this?

Personal accounts will be available to report on Coutts Bankline. If a separate legal entity, they will be treated as third party accounts and accordingly a third party mandate will have to be completed.

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Will I still be able to view and/or make payments from Third Party accounts?

Providing the correct consent has been given by the clients for their accounts to be visible, viewing and initiating payments will be possible.

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Historic Information

CrownLine retains all the account information from the time I was set up on the system. How much historic information is available on Coutts Bankline?

Historic balance and transaction data will initially be available on Coutts Bankline for the past six months, increasing to 15 months. It is advisable to export or print this information regularly, as after 15 months the data will be archived from the Bank�s system. The historic data held on CrownLine can also be exported, which may be useful if you wish to uninstall CrownLine. However, the historic data will still be available to view via your normal CrownLine log in.

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CrownLine retains all of the audit information from the time I was set up on the system. How much audit information will be available on Coutts Bankline?

The audit information will accumulate when you start to use the system until six month�s historic audit data is available to view on Coutts Bankline. Historic data older than six months will be automatically archived by the Bank on a monthly basis and removed from the Coutts Bankline service. It will be retained by the Bank for a further seven years and will be available on request if required.

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CrownLine retains all of the outward payment information from the time I was set up on the system. How much outward payment information will be available on Coutts Bankline?

Outward payment information will accumulate from when you begin to use the system until six month�s data becomes available, with the exceptions of:

incomplete, cancelled, expired or invalid payments which are held for 30 days;
deleted payments which are held for 1 day;
fulfilled and rejected import files which are held for seven days.

After the data has been removed from Coutts Bankline, it will be held by the Bank for a further seven years and will be available on request if required.

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CrownLine retains all of the inward messages that have been received from the time I was set up on the system. How long will inward messages be retained on Coutts Bankline?

The previous six month�s messages will be available for viewing on Coutts Bankline. After six months message data will be deleted. If you wish to retain any message information for more than six months then the required information should be printed.

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Account Information

Will I still be able to sort transactions alphabetically by the narrative?

Transactions will be available to sort by transaction type as well as by the date, reference or amount but not by the narrative. However, searched transactions can be exported into an excel spreadsheet which would then enable you to sort the transactions in ascending or descending order using the narrative.

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Will I still be able to set a default filter on the transaction screen to view selected data?

The ability to filter data is available by using the search facilities but default can not be set.

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Will I still be able to view the same balances on Coutts Bankline as I can currently view on CrownLine?

There is an additional balance, �Last Night�s Cleared�, available within Coutts Bankline. See comparison table below.

CrownLine	Closing Ledger	Closing True	not available	Current True
Bankline	Last Night's Ledger	Last Night's Cleared	Today�s Ledger	Today�s cleared

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CrownLine has an intra day screen which shows all today�s transactions on one screen, where will I find these on Coutts Bankline?

Intra day transactions will appear throughout the day on the �Statement for Account� screen. They will appear in bold showing today�s date.

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Can I see CHAPS payments as soon as they are received?

Yes, as Coutts Bankline is a real time system CHAPS payments that are received throughout the day will show as an intra day transaction. The Statement for Account (ID) screen has to be refreshed in order to reflect any new CHAPS payments that have been received.

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Will I be able to choose which balances I want to view?

Coutts Bankline allows the option to view all or to specify a choice of balances from Last Night�s Ledger, Last Night�s Cleared, Today�s Ledger and Today�s Cleared.

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Payments & Payment Cut off Times

What options are available for setting payment limits within Coutts Bankline?

The following limits are available to set within Coutts Bankline:

Payment Limit - maximum amount of any payment that can be sent.
Dual Authorisation Limit - amount over which 2 users must authorise a payment, if it is set to 0 then all payments must be dual signed.
Template Limit - maximum amount of any payment that can be sent to this beneficiary.

This limit can also be set as a warning, which would allow payments to exceed the limit to be made but with a warning showing in the authorisation queue.

This limit must be also under the Payment Limit.

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Will Users still be able to submit payments up to the value of their daily limit as stated on the CrownLine Mandate?

Coutts Bankline will only allow users to submit payments up to the value of any cleared funds in the account, together with any balances in linked accounts and any agreed overdraft. If submitting a payment would cause these available funds to be exceeded then the payment would be held �awaiting funds�.

Therefore, it is important to remember that funds must be transferred into the account the payment is originating from, prior to the payment being made.

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How far ahead can I forward date a payment?

Will the System Administrator still be able to allocate individual users signing rights on certain accounts?

No, roles can be allocated to remove accounts from a user�s view but this does not apply to payments. Therefore, if a user can see an account and they have the rights to make payments then they will be able to make payments from all the accounts they can view.

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On CrownLine I could authorise a batch of payments and then choose not to send them, how does this work on Coutts Bankline?

If the status of the payment is incomplete, awaiting authorisation, rejected or expired then the payment can be edited. If it is awaiting 2nd authorisation, future dated or processing then the payment can be edited once the authorisation has been cleared. However, if the status is accepted, held awaiting funds or cancelled then the payment cannot be edited.

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On CrownLine, there was no facility for creating remitter�s advices. Is this the same on Coutts Bankline?

Coutts Bankline has the functionality to allow you to generate a remitter�s advice on your company headed notepaper, which can then be sent to the beneficiary.

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Templates in CrownLine had to be created separately before they could be used as a payment. Is this the same on Coutts Bankline?

No, Coutts Bankline has the functionality to allow you to enter a payment as a free format payment and then to choose to save it as a template afterwards.

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How many payment templates can I set up?

There is no limit to the amount of payment templates or bulk lists you can create.

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In CrownLine the maximum amount of payments in a BACS batch is 99 is there a maximum on Coutts Bankline?

Bulk lists can hold up to 1000 payments if created within Coutts Bankline or up to 4000 if imported into Coutts Bankline.

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Will I still be able to set up a group of individual payment templates, model sets, which can then be copied and used when required?

Coutts Bankline will only allow you to make one payment to an individual template so batches of individual payments will have to be created independently.

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The cut off time for BACS payments and transfers is currently 5pm. What is the cut off under Coutts Bankline?

The cut off times on Coutts Bankline are currently 4.30pm for BACS payments and inter-account transfers.

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What are the fields 'your reference' and 'beneficiary reference' used for when making a 3-day BACS UK sterling payment in Coutts Bankline?

Information quoted in the 'beneficiary reference' will appear on both the beneficiary's bank statement and your company's bank statement. Information quoted in the 'your reference' field does not appear on any statement and is shown only when a user is viewing the actual payment details on Coutts Bankline. Both of the fields are optional.

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Security & Signing Processes

Are payments still authorised with a digipass?

No, Coutts Bankline uses a smartcard and a smartcard reader. Each user that can sign payments will be allocated a smartcard but the reader can be shared between multiple users.

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My digipass is activated by a 5-digit PIN number that I have chosen, how does the smartcard and reader work?

On receipt of the smartcard you will be able to set a PIN of your own choice, between four and eight digits long. Your smartcard and PIN will be unique but smartcard readers can validate any smartcard and PIN.

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Will I still be able to keep a spare digipass for contingency purposes?

No, when a new smartcard is ordered for a user, all previous cards are automatically disabled. Therefore, this will not be possible within Coutts Bankline.

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Some of the users on CrownLine can sign transfers but not funds leaving the bank, can this be replicated on Coutts Bankline?

Roles can be allocated to users to allow them to make transfers but not payments leaving the Bank. Transfers under �100,000 do not require authorisation using a smartcard however, if the user is to sign transfers over �100,000 then they will require a smartcard.

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I am currently able to allocate three different levels of single payment authority, increasing to six for dual authorisation � will this flexibility still be available?

Coutts Bankline has a much-simplified concept for the authorisation of payments; one level for single authorisation and one level for dual authorisation. Once these levels have been set they will apply to any user who has the rights to sign payments.

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The signing limits within CrownLine are set by the system administrator but are also held at the Bank, so any changes must be reflected at both sites, is Coutts Bankline the same?

The system administrator is solely responsible for creating and amending payment limits on Coutts Bankline; no reference to the bank is required.

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CrownLine screens do not time-out. Is this the same for Coutts Bankline?

For your security, Coutts Bankline times out if the screen is left inactive for ten minutes but a warning box will appear prior to this happening.

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Exporting Data

When exporting data, CrownLine does not export the column headings, will Coutts Bankline?

Yes, column headings will be exported with the data in Coutts Bankline.

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I can export from CrownLine in any of the following formats, dbase II, dbase III, fixed length, comma separated, DIF and Excel. What formats does Coutts Bankline provide?

From the open screen in Coutts Bankline, data can be exported direct into Excel or saved as an Excel or PDF file format. Further information regarding exporting can be found in our Export File Layout User Guide which is available from the Coutts Bankline website.

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Prior to exporting data from CrownLine I have to create an export file which lists the fields and the format required, do I have to do this in Coutts Bankline?

This is no longer necessary as Coutts Bankline will export all of the data within the screen being viewed.

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The fields I am currently able to export from CrownLine are Intradays, Provisional Movements, Payments, Statements, Transactions and Value Balances, what can export from Coutts Bankline?

Coutts Bankline will allow you to export Account Balance Summary, Account Set Summary Balance, Group Account Constituent Balances, Supplementary List, Statements, Search Transactions Results. Also, the ability to export a list of system users is also available. This includes the user name, user id, and the assigned roles and privileges. Further information regarding exporting can be found in our Export File Layout User Guide which is available from the Coutts Bankline website.

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Importing Data

Are the file formats for Coutts Bankline the same as CrownLine?

No, Coutts Bankline requires a .CSV text file format. Further information regarding importing can be found in our Import File Layout User Guide which is available from the Coutts Bankline website.

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Are the mandatory fields for importing into CrownLine the same on Coutts Bankline?

No, the mandatory fields for importing into Coutts Bankline are dependent on the payment type being imported refer to the importing guide.

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The BACS Batches imported into CrownLine are free format. Is this the same in Coutts Bankline?

No, for added security each individual beneficiary contained in the import file must be listed in the bulked BACS batch and the data, such as account name, must match exactly. However, free format single BACS payments can be imported.

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How many payments can be imported in a single file?

Up to 4000 payments can be in an import file.

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Files with non-fatal errors will import into CrownLine and can then be manually amended, is Coutts Bankline the same?

Dependent on the preferences set within Coutts Bankline, imported payments can all be cancelled if an error is detected or file amendments may be allowed. Therefore, the security surrounding importing can be enhanced by setting the preferences to allow one user to import a file and a different user to check it but restrict any amendments being made.

However, please note that if non-acceptable payment types are imported into Coutts Bankline then the entire file will reject regardless of the preferences previously chosen

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Only BACS Batches can be imported into CrownLine. What can I import into Coutts Bankline?

Both BACS singles and BACS batches can be imported into Coutts Bankline. In addition inter-account transfers can also be imported. Further information regarding importing can be found in our Import File Layout User Guide which is available from the Coutts Bankline website.

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File Transfer

Will I still be able to send secure emails into Coutts, including file attachments?

No, Coutts Bankline does not offer this functionality. The Secure Messaging functionality does not operate for Coutts and we are currently investigating viable alternatives.

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Support and Documentation

I speak directly to a dedicated Helpdesk when I have a problem with my CrownLine system, do I also speak to them about Coutts Bankline?

No, a different dedicated technical support team will support Coutts Bankline 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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Who should I contact if I need further help or information with my migration/registration?

Our Bankline Support Team, available 24x7, will assist you with your migration/registration and they can be contacted on 020 7770 0004. Please note calls may be recorded.

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