Cheque Truncation System – 2010 – (CTS 2010) Guidance Note by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)

Cheque Truncation System – 2010 – (CTS 2010) Guidance Note by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)

As the deadline for CTS-2010, is coming closer, the various stake-holders are getting their act together

As per RBI Notification No RBI/2009-10/323/DPSS.CO.CHD.No.1832/04.07.05/2009-10  dt.February 22, 2010, IBA(Indian Banks Association) and NPCI, are the coordinating agencies, for CTS - 2010.

Towards this end, NPCI has on 21^st September, 2010 issued a Guidance Note for the roll-out.

The complete Guidance Note can be accessed at

http://www.npci.org.in/CTCircular.aspx

The highlights of the Guidance Note are :

Orders placed by Banks for Cheque Forms, on or after 01/10/2010, must  comply with CTS – 2010 Security features

The Security features contain Mandatory features as well as Optional features

The Mandatory Security features are : -

A) Water Mark (to be incorporated at the paper manufacturing stage)

B) Void Pantograph ( at printing stage)

C)Ultra-violet logo of Bank(at printing stage)

D) Standardized field placements of a cheque

E) Cheque printing colours and background.

F) Microlettering.

G) New Rupee Symbol at CAR (Courtesy Amount Recognition) amount in figure field.

H) Printer Name along with CTS – 2010

Optional Features:-  These are optional features based on the Banks risk perception.

(i) Supplementary watermark containing their own logo  - - - A watermark is a recognizable image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light (or when viewed by reflected light, atop a dark background), caused by thickness or density variations in the paper

(ii) Embedded fluorescent fibres, - - - Invisible colored fluorescent fibres are embedded into the paper during the manufacturing process. The fibres are invisible to the naked eye, but become visible when viewed under an ultra violet lamp. This can be placed at random locations or at pre-determined locations on the Cheque forms.

(iii) fugitive ink, - - - Water fugitive ink is sensitive with most liquid solutions and will smear and stain the document.  Most official stamps uses water fugitive inks (McGraw-Hill, 2007).  This security feature makes it apparent if a document has been altered.

(iv) secondary fluorescent ink, - - - Fluorescent inks are naturally bright inks that reflect and emit light making use of UV light waves, which other inks cannot take advantage of.

(v) Toner fusing - - - Toner Fuse Technology causes Laser Toner to bond permanently to the paper surface. This covert security feature makes it impossible to "lift" words and numbers off the surface of the paper using adhesive tape, without destroying the paper surface.

(vi) check- sum.

(vii) Patterns

(vii) Floral designs

(ix) bleeding ink, - - - An option of bleeding ink could be implemented on a cheque which makes fraud impossible using any water based chemicals, if applied to the cheque a colored solvent reacts and spoils the cheque.  

(x) Structural magnetic security thread

(xii) Hot stamped holograms on multi-city cheques and demand drafts

(xiii) auto-detection tools

(xiv) Use of UV band on sensitive and  key areas of interest on a cheque such as Legal Amount Recognition (Amount in Words), Courtesy Amount Recognition (Amount in Figures), Signature, Beneficiary Name

(xv) pre-encoding of amount field on the MICR band for demand drafts / pay orders (above a self-decided cut-off) before issue to customers

(xvi) Use of check-sum on the face of demand drafts / pay orders (other than the MICR band), etc.

NPCI has advised banks that the additional security features adhere to CTS – 2010 specifications and also not Image heavy.

The deadline for implementation of the CTS 2010 standards is 31/12/2010.

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          One of the interesting aspect of this Guidance Note is that the CTS 2010 Specifications are applicable to all Cheque forms, and not only for Cheques forms for branches under the CTS (Cheque Truncation System) locations.

This might be to ensure that the Speed Clearing process does not get de-railed and also to ensure uniformity amongst the Cheque forms, in our country.

As the INR symbol has been adopted, this also is finding place on the new Cheque Forms.

I guess the next Guidance note will be on the transition period for existing Cheque Forms, already in the financial system. As it is, still Non-MICR cheques are being issued by few Government Departments.

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Another fascinating facet of this Guidance Note, is that the testing fee of Rs1000/- per Cheque Form Batch is to be remitted by Payorder/Demand Draft, and through NEFT.

Yes, I would have preferred the testing fees through NEFT rather than Pay Order/Demand Draft.