Messaging

BIC Directory

Technical Specifications
These technical specifications provide detailed information about the BIC Directory. The information includes descriptions of files, records, fields, and flags. This document is intended for anyone who installs and administers the BIC Directory.

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Table of Contents
1 2 About BIC Directory ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Files ....................................................................................................................................................................... 4
2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 File Types in the Download Packages ................................................................................................... 4 File Names ................................................................................................................................................. 5 File Formats ............................................................................................................................................... 6 Record Length per File ............................................................................................................................. 6

Records ............................................................................................................................................................... 8
3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 AM Records ................................................................................................................................................ 8 CT Records ................................................................................................................................................ 9 CU Records .............................................................................................................................................. 10 FI Records (BIC Update Files) .............................................................................................................. 11 FI Records (BIC Bank Files) .................................................................................................................. 15 HD Records (BIC Update, Currencies, Countries, Holidays Files) ................................................. 16 HD Records (BIC Bank Files) ................................................................................................................ 18 HF Records .............................................................................................................................................. 18 HS Records .............................................................................................................................................. 20 TZ Records ............................................................................................................................................... 21

Fields and Flags ............................................................................................................................................ 23

4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Common Fields ........................................................................................................................................ 23 Filler Fields ............................................................................................................................................... 23 Key Fields ................................................................................................................................................. 25 Modification Flag ..................................................................................................................................... 26 Text Fields ................................................................................................................................................ 26

. Legal Notices ...............................................................................................................................................................28

Technical Specifications

About BIC Directory

About BIC Directory

BIC Directory The BIC Directory, published by SWIFT, contains the list of bank identifier codes registered according to the ISO 9362 standard. The BIC Directory includes the registered BICs, the names and addresses of the corresponding entities, and additional information such as Market Infrastructures in which the entity participates. The scope of the additional information varies according to the version. BIC Directory Download You can download the BIC Directory: from swift.com, over the Internet Browse to the Directory downloads section in Solutions > Messaging > Directories, Directory downloads. from SWIFTNet Portal, over SWIFTNet (using Browse, and Alliance WebStation or Starter Set) For more information about SWIFTNet Portal, see the SWIFTNet Portal User Guide, available on swift.com > Support > Documentation. Downloadable TXT files (FI records) are also available as delta files, which contain only the changes as compared to the previous release. Because of the different publication cycles, you can only switch from CD to download by performing a FULL LOAD.

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Files
About this section This section focuses on the files located in the download package. It gives information about file types, names and extensions, formats, and the length of records each file type can contain. Contents In this section, you will find more information about these topics.

2.1

File Types in the Download Packages

Introduction On swift.com, in the Directory downloads section, you will find different file types, assembled in packages. Here is a brief explanation. File characteristics Here is an explanation of terms and options used on the download page, related to files: Full files: these files contain all data, not only what has changed as compared to the previous release. Delta files: most packages containing TXT format files are available as full files, and as delta files, which contain only the changes as compared to the previous release. Delta files are only offered in the TXT format. Download package characteristics Here is an explanation of terms and options used on the download page, related to packages: ZIP / tar.Z: ZIP files are available for Windows, BIC Directory for Alliance packages are also available as tar.Z for UNIX. Tar.Z files will take longer to download. Publication date: a package is available on the Friday preceding the last Saturday of the month before it is activated. On the publication date, the files are published at 02 am GMT. Activation date: a release is activated on the first Saturday of the month. Note Both the new (published, but not yet activated) and the activated (published and activated) packages are available.

Recommended file type SWIFT recommends that the tab delimited file format:
File type BICDB Full name BIC Directory tab delimited files Files The FI file in this package contains all BICs with the full range of data attributes. Amendment, Currency, Country, and Holiday files are also part of this package. All files are in tab delimited format. Example: FI_20080906.TXT

Technical Specifications

Files

Other file types Here is a description of the other available file types:
File type Bankfile Full name BIC bank files Files The bank files include all BICs, and for each BIC, a limited number of data attributes (for example, institution name, but not BIC modification flag or service code). The files are available in different formats. Example: BANKFILE_20080906.DAT BICDU BIC update files The FI file in this package contains all BICs with the full range of data attributes. Amendment, Currency, and Country files are also part of the package. Example: BICDUFI_YYYYMMDD.DOS CCH Currencies, Countries, Holidays files The files in this package provide information about ISO currencies, ISO countries, and financial institutions holidays for SWIFT operational countries. Example: CCH_20080906.TXT

Readme files
Full name BIC Directory business codes Description of the different file types and records General information about countries Files Example: BIC_DIR_BC_20080906.pdf Example: BIC_DIR_20080906.pdf This file contains, for example, cut-off times and cancellation instructions. Example: BIC_GF_20080906.pdf

2.2

File Names
File name structures BIC files are of one of these structures:
Type
<file type>_<activation date>.<extension> <data type>_<activation date>.<extension> <file type><data type><activation date>.<extension>

Example BANKFILE_20080906.DAT AM_20080906.TXT BICDUAM_YYYYMMDD.DOS

Variables in file names In the BIC file names, you will find a combination of these variables: File type The file type indicates whether this is a BIC bank file (BANKFILE), a BIC update file (BICDU), or a currency/country/holiday file (CCH). Activation date The activation date of the BIC Directory, in YYYYMMDD format. The activation date is also used in the readme file names (PDF).

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Data type The data type shows the type of record the file contains: BIC database tab delimited files: AM, CT, CU, FI, HD, HF, HS, or TZ BIC update files: AM, CT, CU, FI, HD Extension Possible file extensions are: DOS, EBC, DAT and TXT.

2.3

File Formats
Available formats The different file formats have these characteristics:
Extension DOS EBC DAT TXT Type of file stream file stream file text file with CR/LF separator text file with CR/LF separator Record format fixed length fixed length fixed length tab delimited Character set ASCII EBCDIC ASCII ASCII

Note Type of file

There is no empty record at the end of these files.

stream file: DOS and EBC files are stream files for backward compatibility usage only text file with CR/LF separator Record format fixed length tab delimited: variable length records separated by CR/LF (0D Hex/0A Hex) fields within a record are delimited by the Tab (09 Hex) character.

2.4

Record Length per File

BIC bank file records
File BANKFILE_yyyymmdd.DOS BANKFILE_yyyymmdd.EBC BANKFILE_yyyymmdd.DAT BANKFILE_yyyymmdd.TXT Record length 221

Not applicable (tab delimited)

Technical Specifications

Files

BIC database tab delimited file records Record length is not applicable (tab delimited). BIC update file records (all record types in 1 file)
File BICDU_yyyymmdd.DOS BICDU_yyyymmdd.EBC BICDU_yyyymmdd.DAT BICDU_yyyymmdd.TXT Record length 855

Not applicable (tab delimited)

BIC update file records (separate files)

File BICDUamn.DOS BICDUamn.DAT BICDUctn.DOS BICDUctn.DAT BICDUcun.DOS BICDUcun.DAT BICDUfin.DOS BICDUfin.DAT BICDUhdn.DOS BICDUhdn.DAT BICDUamn.TXT BICDUctn.TXT BICDUcun.TXT BICDUfin.TXT BICDUhdn.TXT Record length 24

75

149

848

22

Not applicable (tab delimited)

Countries, Currencies, Holidays file records

File CCH_yyyymmdd.DOS CCH_yyyymmdd.DAT CCH_yyyymmdd.TXT Record length 855

Not applicable (tab delimited)

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Records
About this section The descriptions that follow detail each record type that can be found in the various files. Depending on the data type, not all record types are necessarily present in the file. Contents In this section, you will find more information about these topics:

3.1

AM Records
About these records These records give information about amendments made to SWIFT and non-SWIFT BICs. It contains all changes made to the BIC codes (including BIC codes involved in mergers) since the previous issue of the BIC Directory. Structure The length of this record is 24, without filler field:

AM RECORDS

1 2 3

tag identifier old BIC new BIC

Field description
Field Position 1 2 3 1 3 14 Description tag identifier old BIC new BIC Field Name (tab delim. file) TAG OLD BIC NEW BIC Data Entry alphabetic alphanumeric alphanumeric Mandatory yes yes yes Max. Length + Data 2 char : AM 11 char : old BIC 11 char : new BIC

Case 1 A certain BIC appears in only one record (NEW BIC field). The record indicates a change in the BIC.

D0880003

Technical Specifications

Records

An example:
TAG = AM OLD BIC = AAAACH2CXXX NEW BIC = BBBBCH2CXXX

This example indicates that the bank code field for AAAACH2CXXX has changed from AAAA to BBBB. Case 2 A certain BIC appears in more than one record (NEW BIC field). Those records taken together indicate a merger. All BICs in the field OLD BIC for records with the same BIC in the field NEW BIC, are merged together into the BIC specified in the NEW BIC field. An example record:
TAG = AM OLD BIC = AAAACH2CXXX NEW BIC = CCCCCHBZXXX

And a second example record:

TAG = AM OLD BIC = BBBBCHEDXXX NEW BIC = CCCCCHBZXXX

This example indicates that AAAACH2CXXX and BBBBCHEDXXX have merged to CCCCCHBZXXX.

3.2

CT Records
About these records These records give information about ISO countries. Structure The length of this record is 75, without filler field:

CT RECORDS

1 2 3 4 --- 5

tag identifier modification flag country code country name

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D0880004

BIC Directory

Field description
Field Position 1 2 1 3 Description tag identifier modification flag Field Name (tab delim. file) TAG MODIFICATION FLAG Data Entry alphabetic alphabetic Mandatory yes yes Max. Length + Data 2 char : CT 1 char : A (addition), M (modification), D (deletion), or U (unchanged) 2 char: ISO country code 35 char: country name (part 1) 35 char: country name (part 2)

3 4 5

4 6 41

country code

COUNTRY CODE

alphabetic any type any type

yes yes no

country name COUNTRY NAME country name

3.3

CU Records
About these records These records give information about ISO currencies. Structure The length of this record is 149, without filler field:
CU RECORDS 1 2 3 4 --- 5 6 7 8 --- 9 tag identifier modification flag currency mode currency name fractional digit country code
D0880005

country name

Field description
Field 1 2 Position 1 3 Description tag identifier modification flag Field Name (tab delim. file) TAG MODIFICATION FLAG Data Entry alphabetic alphabetic Mandatory yes yes Max. Length + Data 2 char: CU 1 char: A (addition), M (modification), D (deletion), or U (unchanged)
Technical Specifications

10

Records

Field 3 4

Position 4 7

Description currency code currency name currency name fractional digit

Field Name (tab delim. file) CURRENCY CODE CURRENCY NAME

Data Entry alphabetic any type

Mandatory yes yes

Max. Length + Data 3 char: ISO currency code 35 char: ISO currency name (part 1) 35 char: ISO currency name (part 2) 1 char: fractional digit for the currency, that is, the number of decimals to be used 2 char: ISO country code 35 char: country name (part 1) 35 char: country name (part 2)

42

any type

no

77

FRACTIONAL DIGIT

numeric

yes

7 8 9

78 80 115

country code

COUNTRY CODE

alphabetic any type any type

no no no

country name COUNTRY NAME country name

3.4

FI Records (BIC Update Files)

About these records These records gives information about financial institutions, here for BIC update (BICDU) files.

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High-level structure This is a high-level overview of the record. You will find more detailed information after this. The length of this record is 848, over 28 fields, the filler field not included:
FI (BICDU) RECORDS 1 2 3 4 5 --- 7 8 --- 9 10 11 12 13 14 --- 17 18 --- 20 21 --- 22 23 --- 28 tag identifier modification flag BIC (bank, country and location code) BIC (branch code) institution name branch information city heading subtype indication value added services extra information physical address location country name
D0880006

post office box

Tag identifier, modification flag, and BIC fields

Field 1 2 Position 1 3 Description tag identifier modification flag Field Name (tab delim. file) TAG MODIFICATION FLAG Data Entry alphabetic alphabetic Mandatory yes yes Max. Length + Data 2 char: FI 1 char: A (addition), M (modification), D (deletion), or U (unchanged) 8 char: bank code (4 char), country code (2 char), location code (2 char) 3 char: branch code (XXX if no branch code exists)

BIC (bank, country and location code) BIC (branch code)

BIC CODE

alphanumeric

yes

12

BRANCH CODE alphanumeric

yes

12

Technical Specifications

Records

Institution name fields (mandatory/optional)

Field 5 6 7 Position 15 50 85 Description institution name institution name institution name Field Name (tab delim. file) INSTITUTION NAME Data Entry any type any type any type Mandatory yes no no Max. Length + Data 35 char: name (part 1) 35 char: name (part 2) 35 char: name (part 3)

Branch information fields

Field 8 9 Position 120 155 Description branch information branch information Field Name (tab delim. file) BRANCH INFORMATION Data Entry any type any type Mandatory no no Max. Length + Data 35 char: branch specification (part 1) 35 char: branch specification (part 2)

City heading field

Field 10 Position 190 Description city heading Field Name (tab delim. file) CITY HEADING Data Entry any type Mandatory yes Max. Length + Data 35 char: city name

Subtype indication field Here is a description of the subtype indicator field (see the BIC Directory Business Code for a complete list of subtype indicators and their definitions), which contains the precise type of financial institution, for example, a bank or a broker:
Field 11 Position 225 Description subtype indication Field Name (tab delim. file) SUBTYPE INDICATION Data Entry any type Mandatory no Max. Length + Data 4 char: type of financial institution

Value-added services field Here is a description of the value-added services field, which contains the value-added services that the financial institution has subscribed to:
Field 12 Position 229 Description Value-added services Field Name (tab delim. file) Value added SERVICES Data Entry any type Mandatory no Max. Length + Data 20 x 3 char: value added services

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Field

Position

Description Positions:

Field Name (tab delim. file)

Data Entry

Mandatory

Max. Length + Data

More information:

1-48: can contain up to 16 three-character service codes in alphabetical order. 49-51: can contain the preferred service code. If not used, they are left blank. 52-60: are reserved for future use. Do not put spaces between the codes. A plus sign (+) as the third character indicates another participant of this service. See the BIC Directory Business Code for a complete list of service codes.

Extra Information field Here is a detailed description of the extra Information field, containing the BIC branch qualifiers (see the BIC Directory Business Code for a complete list of the branch qualifiers and their definitions), which have been implemented as of the March 2001 release:
Field 13 Position 289 Description extra information Positions: 1-18: can contain up to 6 three-character branch qualifiers in alphabetic order. Do not put spaces between the codes. 19-35: are unused and left empty. Field Name (tab delim. file) EXTRA INFORMATION Data Entry any type Mandatory no Max. Length + Data 35 char: BIC branch qualifiers

More information:

Physical address fields In the physical address field, four subfields give the building name, detailed building information, street name, and number (see "Text Fields" on page 26). The order of the information in these four fields depends on accepted practice for the individual country:
Field 14 15 16 17 Position 324 359 394 429 Description physical address physical address physical address physical address Field Name (tab delim. file) PHYSICAL ADDRESS 1 PHYSICAL ADDRESS 2 PHYSICAL ADDRESS 3 PHYSICAL ADDRESS 4 Data Entry any type any type any type any type Mandatory no no no no Max. Length + Data 35 char: physical address (part 1) 35 char: physical address (part 2) 35 char: physical address (part 3) 35 char: physical address (part 4)

14

Technical Specifications

Records

Location fields The location fields contain three logical groups of information: the postal code, the location name, and the location suffix. The order of the information depends on accepted practice for the individual country:
Field 18 19 20 Position 464 499 534 Description location location location Field Name (tab delim. file) LOCATION Data Entry any type any type any type Mandatory no no no Max. Length + Data 35 char: location (part 1) 35 char: location (part 2) 35 char: location (part 3)

Country name fields

Field 21 22 Position 569 604 Description Field Name (tab delim. file) Data Entry any type any type Mandatory no no Max. Length + Data 35 char: country name (part 1) 35 char: country name (part 2)

country name COUNTRY NAME country name

Post office box (POB) fields The post office box field contains four logical groups of information: the POB number, POB location, POB postal code, POB location name, and location suffix. The order of the information depends on accepted practice for the individual country:
Field 23 24 25 26 27 Position 639 674 709 744 779 Description POB number POB location POB location POB location POB country name POB country name Field Name (tab delim. file) POB NUMBER Data Entry any type Mandatory no no no no no Max. Length + Data 35 char: POB number 35 char: POB location (part 1) 35 char: POB location (part 2) 35 char: POB location (part 3) 35 char: POB country name (part 1) 35 char: POB country name (part 2)

POB LOCATION any type any type any type POB COUNTRY any type NAME any type

28

814

no

3.5

FI Records (BIC Bank Files)

About these records These records give information about financial institutions, here for BIC bank files (BANKFILE).

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Structure The length of this record is 211:

FI (BANKFILE) RECORDS

1 2 3 --- 5 6 7 --- 8

BIC (bank, country and location code) BIC (branch code) financial institution city heading branch information
D0880007

Field description
Field 1 Position 1 Description BIC (Bank, Country & Location Code) BIC (Branch code) financial institution financial institution financial institution city heading branch information branch information CITY HEADING BRANCH INFORMATION Field Name (tab delim. file) BIC CODE Data Entry alphanumeric Mandatory yes Max. Length + Data 8 char: bank code (4 char), country code (2 char), location code (2 char) 3 char: branch code (XXX if no branch code exists) 35 char: name (part 1) 35 char: name (part 2) 35 char: name (part 3) 35 char: city name 35 char: branch specification (part 1) 35 char: branch specification (part 2)

BRANCH CODE alphanumeric

yes

3 4 5 6 7 8

12 47 82 117 152 187

INSTITUTION NAME

any type any type any type any type any type any type

yes no no yes no no

3.6

HD Records (BIC Update, Currencies, Countries, Holidays Files)

About these records These records identify the rebuild date for BIC update and Currencies, Countries, Holidays files (BICDU and CCH), which is the date on which the updates are applicable for SWIFT FIN.

16

Technical Specifications

Records

Structure The length of this record is 22:

HD (BICDU+CCH) RECORDS

1 2 3

tag identifier text date

Structure The length of this record is 22:

HD RECORDS

1 2 3

tag identifier text date

Field description
Field 1 2 3 Position 1 3 15 Description tag identifier text date Field Name (tab delim. file) TAG TEXT DATE Data Entry alphabetic any type numeric Mandatory yes yes yes Max. Length + Data 2 char: HD 12 char: REBUILD DATE 8 char: date of rebuild (YYYYMMDD)

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D0880015

D0880010

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BIC Directory

3.7

HD Records (BIC Bank Files)

About these records These records identify the rebuild date for BIC bank files (BANKFILE), which is the date on which the updates are applicable for SWIFT FIN. Structure The length of this record is 20:

HD (BANKFILE) RECORDS 1 2 text date

Field description
Field 1 2 Position 1 13 Description text date Field Name (tab delim. file) TEXT DATE Data Entry any type numeric Mandatory yes yes Max. Length + Data 12 char: REBUILD DATE 8 char: date of rebuild (YYYYMMDD)

3.8

HF Records
About these records These records contain information about financial institution holidays in the SWIFT-connected countries.

18

D0880011

Technical Specifications

Records

Structure The length of this record is 404, without filler field:

HF RECORDS 1 2 3 4 --- 5 6 7 8 tag identifier modification flag country code country name date holiday type
D0880012

special holiday info

Field description
Field 1 2 Position 1 3 Description tag identifier modification flag Field Name (tab delim. file) TAG MODIFICATION FLAG Data Entry alphabetic alphabetic Mandatory yes yes Max. Length + Data 2 char: HF 1 char: A (addition), M (modification), D (deletion), or U (unchanged) 2 char: ISO country code 35 char: country name (part 1) 35 char: country name (part 2) 8 char: date of a holiday (YYYYMMDD) 1 char: code indicating type of holiday 320 char: restrictions applicable if a holiday is not applicable countrywide, or is not a full day, or additional text for all holiday types

3 4

4 6

country code

COUNTRY CODE

alphabetic any type

yes yes

country name COUNTRY NAME country name

41

any type

no

76

date

DATE

numeric

yes

84

holiday type

HOLIDAY TYPE

any type

yes

85

special holiday info

SPECIAL HOLIDAY INFO

any type

no

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BIC Directory

More info about field 7, holiday type The holiday type field can contain the following values:
Value A D E F G H P S W X Y Description morning weekend holiday (occurring every week) special exchange holiday in country exchange holidays morning exchange holidays afternoon exchange holidays normal holiday afternoon weekend holiday (occurring every week) special holiday weekend holiday morning holiday (occurring only once) afternoon holiday (occurring only once)

3.9

HS Records
About these records These records contain information about holidays related to a particular service, such as financial institution holidays. Structure The length of this record is 335, without the filler field:
HS RECORDS

1 2 3 4 5 6

tag identifier modification flag service code date holiday type special holiday info
D0880013

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Technical Specifications

Records

Field description
Field 1 2 Position 1 3 Description tag identifier modification flag Field Name (tab delim. file) TAG MODIFICATION FLAG Data Entry alphabetic alphabetic Mandatory yes yes Max. Length + Data 2 char: HS 1 char: A (addition), M (modification), D (deletion), or U (unchanged) 3 char: value-added service code 8 char: date of a holiday (YYYYMMDD) 1 char: code indicating type of holiday See "More info about field 7, holiday type" on page 20. 320 char: restrictions applicable if a holiday is not applicable countrywide, or is not a full day, or additional text for all holiday types

3 4

4 7

service code date

SERVICE CODE DATE

any type numeric

yes yes

15

holiday type

HOLIDAY TYPE

any type

yes

16

special holiday info

SPECIAL HOLIDAY INFO

any type

no

3.10

TZ Records
These records contain information about the local time difference in relation to GMT, and on the start and end dates for standard time and daylight saving time (if applicable). Only tab delimited format is available for this record type. There is no filler field.

About these records

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BIC Directory

Structure
TZ RECORDS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 tag identifier modification flag country code country name region code starting date ending date hours difference
D0880014

Field description
Field 1 2 Position Description tag identifier modification flag Field Name (tab delim. file) TAG MODIFICATION FLAG Data Entry alphabetic alphabetic Mandatory yes yes Max. Length + Data 2 char: TZ 1 char: A (addition), M (modification), D (deletion), or U (unchanged) 2 char: ISO country code 35 char: country name (part 1) 1 char: first character of the location code (* for entire country) 8 char: starting date (YYYYMMDD) 8 char: ending date (YYYYMMDD) 5 char: number of hours and minutes difference (-)HHMM

3 4 5

country code

COUNTRY CODE

alphabetic any type any type

yes yes yes

country name COUNTRY NAME region code REGION CODE

6 7 8

starting date ending date hours difference

STARTING DATE ENDING DATE HOURS DIFFERENCE

numeric numeric numeric

yes yes no

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Fields and Flags

Fields and Flags

About this section This section groups all generic fields and flags descriptions, as found in the different files and records. ISO names Some of the fields in certain records list information defined by ISO. However, the names in those records are the ones used to print the BIC Directory and may be abbreviated. Other fields In this section you will find more detailed information about the remaining fields:

4.1

Common Fields
Date fields Date fields have 8 characters, structured in this format:
YYYYMMDD

Mandatory/optional flag This flag indicates whether the field must contain information (mandatory, indicated by "yes" in the records section), or can be empty (optional, indicated by "no" in the records section). If the field has no information, it is filled with blanks.

4.2

Filler Fields
About the filler fields Fixed length records can contain a filler field after all data fields. They are filled with blank characters. Records in tab delimited files retain the filler field when present in other equivalent formats. BIC bank file records For BANKFILE_yyyymmdd files the filler field is as follows:
HD records (DOS, EBC, DAT files) Field 3 Position 21 Description Filler Data Entry any type Mandatory yes Max. Length + Data 201 char: (blanks)

HD records (TXT files) have a filler field header, but the field is empty. Note There are no filler fields in the FI records.

BIC database tab delimited file records These files have no filler field.

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BIC Directory

BIC update file records (DOS, EBC, DAT files) For BICDU_yyyymmdd files the filler field is as follows:
FI records Field 29 Position 849 Description Filler Data Entry any type Mandatory yes Max. Length + Data 7 char: (blanks)

CU records Field 10 Position 150 Description Filler Data Entry any type Mandatory yes Max. Length + Data 150 char: (blanks)

CT records Field 6 Position 76 Description Filler Data Entry any type Mandatory yes Max. Length + Data 780 char: (blanks)

AM records Field 4 Position 25 Description Filler Data Entry any type Mandatory yes Max. Length + Data 831 char: (blanks)

Note

BICDUxxn.* files have no filler field.

Currencies, Countries, Holidays file records (DOS, EBC, DAT files) For CCH_yyyymmdd files the filler field is as follows:
HD records Field 4 Position 23 Description Filler Data Entry any type Mandatory yes Max. Length + Data 833 char: (blanks)

HS records Field 7 Position 336 Description Filler Data Entry any type Mandatory yes Max. Length + Data 520 char: (blanks)

HF records Field 9 Position 415 Description Filler Data Entry any type Mandatory yes Max. Length + Data 451 char: (blanks)

CU records Field 10 Position 160 Description Filler Data Entry any type Mandatory yes Max. Length + Data 706 char: (blanks)

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Technical Specifications

Fields and Flags

CT records Field 6 Position 76 Description Filler Data Entry any type Mandatory yes Max. Length + Data 780 char: (blanks)

4.3

Key Fields
About key fields A key field contains the value of a unique identifier for a particular record type (for example, BIC for FI records, CT code for country records, CU code for currency records). Key field change If a key field changes, then the record in the next BIC Directory file will not have a modification flag M. The record appears twice: once with the old information (modification flag = D), and once with the new information (modification flag = A). Note If other information in a record has changed, and not a key field, then the record appears only once with modification flag M.

Key fields list

Record CT CU FI Field Description country code currency code BIC (bank, country & location code) BIC (branch code) HF country code date HS service code date TZ country code region code starting date ending date Field Number 3 3 BICDU: 3, BANKFILE: 1 BICDU: 4, BANKFILE: 2 3 6 3 4 3 6 7 8

Key fields list

Record HF Field Description country code date HS service code date TZ country code Field Number 3 6 3 4 3

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BIC Directory

Record

Field Description region code starting date ending date

Field Number 6 7 8

4.4

Modification Flag
About the modification flag This field reflects the update status for that specific record compared to the previous BIC Directory issue. All records (except the single HD record and all the Bank File records) bear a modification flag in the third position. Possible flags These modification flags are used in the records:
Modification Flag A Meaning Added since last BIC Directory The record was not present in the previous BIC Directory file, and is therefore new in the current issue. Deleted since last BIC Directory The record has been removed since the previous issue of the BIC Directory. The BIC still appears in this particular issue to provide the deletion information, but will not appear in future issues of the BIC Directory. Unchanged since last BIC Directory The record has not been changed since the previous BIC Directory. In the current issue it is still present and unchanged. Modified since last BIC Directory The record still exists in the current issue of the BIC directory, but does not contain the same information as the previous issue. For example, when the name of the institution has changed since the last issue of the BIC Directory, that BIC will have M as its modification flag.

4.5

Text Fields
Types of text fields There are two types of text fields:
Type General text fields Physical address text fields Description General text fields contain narrative information such as financial institution names or branch information. The physical address field is a special type of text field. The data are spread over several sub-fields instead of using just one large field. Subfields can be used to print labels or letter headings, without worrying about where to split the field before going to the next line. With this approach, you can put sub-fields beneath each other.

26

Technical Specifications

Fields and Flags

Sub-fields in a physical address text field Several sub-fields link together if the information has to fit on only a few lines. Sub-fields are formatted in the following way: First sub-field The information starts at position 1 of the field. Next subfields (if not empty) Is the first position of the sub-field a blank, followed by characters? If yes, the next characters make a new, separate word, whether the first sub-field ended in a blank or not. If no, the next characters are joined to those ending the previous sub-field. However, a word is never cut. Note Tab delimited text files do not contain consecutive blanks at the end of a sub-field, they do not contain filler fields. For physical address fields, filler blanks in these fields are reduced to one blank. This definition is derived from the BIC Directory. Due to the different input file definition, the organisation into sub-fields is not always respected in BIC Database Plus.

August 2009

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BIC Directory

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Technical Specifications