Look What 

we've cooked 

up for the 

Summer

IN THIS ISSUE

Pg 2 

Digitizing the General

Lockbox Network

Pg 3 

Innovate with Secure

OTCnet Solutions

Pg 5

Keeping up with CAS

Pg 7

What exactly is CRS? 

Pg 9

What is an ARM REP?

Pg 10 

RCM Schedule of releases

Pg 11

Government Financial 

Management Conference

“REGISTRATION IS OPEN”

Revenue 

Collections 

Management

Summer 2022

LEAD. TRANSFORM. DELIVER.
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As consumer demand for digital capabilities grows, 

Treasury embraces the opportunity for modernization 

and innovation. One area for growth is the General 

Lockbox Network (GLN), A Fiscal Service program 

that processes non-tax paper checks and other 

remittance documents received through the mail 

for federal government agencies. Treasury aims to 

replace paper transactions collected through the 

GLN with convenient and secure electronic solutions 

as part of the ten-year vision for the Future of 

Federal Financial Management.

Processing payments through the General Lockbox 

Network is significantly more expensive and 

resource-dependent for the government than the 

electronic collection methods offered by Fiscal 

Service. The extensive paper and labor resources 

used in the GLN lead to operational inefficiencies 

in the payment process. Due to these increased 

risks and expenses, the banking industry is rapidly 

transitioning away from providing lockbox services 

and shifting their focus to more innovative fields. 

We owe the American taxpayer our best effort 

to implement electronic collection channels that 

are less expensive and more efficient than paperbased processes, and provide customers with a 

more secure, modern, transaction experience. 

Fiscal Service and the GLN highly recommend 

expanding the use of Pay.gov and the adoption of 

other e-Commerce Solutions, such as Online Bill 

Payment (OLBP) and Mobile Check Capture. These 

services provide federal agencies with improved 

fraud prevention, faster payment reconciliation, 

and reduced manual processing, while offering 

customers a simple, easy-to-follow payment process 

and enhanced data security.

Fiscal Service will additionally support agencies 

implementing a “No-Cash or a No-Check” policy and 

assist agencies with communication plans to ease 

the transition experience of customers.

Please refer to the Bulletin No. 2022-01 in the 

Treasury Financial Manual for more information. 

Join us in our effort to provide customers with 

the most convenient, simple and secure 

payment methods. 

For questions about adopting electronic collection 

methods, or to be provided with communication 

materials to promote electronic methods to your 

customers please contact, Agency Relationship 

Management Division at ARM@fiscal.treasury.gov

Digitizing 

 the General Lockbox Network
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Innovate with Secure 

OTCnet Solutions

Make the Switch to Card Payments

Want to accept debit, credit, and gift card payments from Visa and 

Mastercard in OTCnet? Try the OTCnet Card Processing solution to 

collect payments easier, faster, and more streamlined. 

If you already use card payments or want to start accepting them, switch 

to OTCnet Card Processing to enjoy an integrated solution within the 

same platform as check and cash deposits. Learn more on the Getting 

Started: Card Processing page

Greater Security for Agencies: OTCnet Local Bridge (OLB) and OTCnet 

Offline Update Release 4.1 is live as of June 2022! It introduces OLB 

version 2.5.0.0 and OTCnet Offline version 4.1.0.0, which both provide 

new security features that are adjustable to suite your agency’s needs. 

The updated OLB and OTCnet Offline will unbundle Java (JRE) from the 

installation package so that agencies are empowered to manage Java 

versions according to their own security requirements.

Click here to install the latest OLB, see the step-by-step instructions in 

the Upgrade the OTCnet Local Bridge (OLB) Application 

Printable Job Aid.

Moving from Paper (Cash/Check) 

Collections to Electronic Collections

The U.S. Treasury is strongly recommending agencies to move away from 

collecting cash and checks and towards electronic solutions (i.e, Pay.Gov, 

Online Bill Payment, ACH Credit/Debit) for collections. The OTCnet team 

has a goal of reducing paper deposit volume by 25% within the 

next 5 years. For any assistance on this transition, please contact 

your Agency Relationship Manager to discuss your agency’s 

electronic collections options. ARM@fiscal.treasury.gov

All-in-One Solutions for Small to Medium Locations

OTCnet supports a host of federal agencies, from those located in our 

nation’s capital to those across the country and beyond! Our solutions 

are designed to meet each of these agency’s needs. Through OTCnet’s 

Kiosk Tablet solution, your agency can make card payments and conduct 

check processing all-in-one workstation. This lightweight collection option 

is perfect for small to medium transactions volumes and can reduce costs 

and training time.

OTCnet allows your customers to complete transactions independent 

of an agency representative. Even with a small team, your agency can 

securely make electronic payments that are integrated with Treasury 

reporting channels. 

We can help onboard you to these all-in-one solutions and seamlessly 

integrate them into your existing workflow.

The OTCnet team provides assistance at every step of the way, 

from an initial Kiosk overview session to your first payment. 

Get started today by contacting the Deployment Team at 

Fiscalservice.otcdeployment@citi.com or 703.377.5586.

Mobile Check Capture Transition from ECP to OTCnet

The FedRevCollect Mobile Program is transitioning its Mobile Check 

Capture service from Electronic Check Processing (ECP) to The Over 

the Counter Network Channel Application (OTCnet). The new program 

infrastructure will assist your agencies and your customers with 

enhanced functionalities and a modern user interface.

This transition will be of minimal impact to agencies and no action is 

required at this time. As the transition moves forward, the implementation 

team will contact your agency to communicate key dates and any actions 

you need to take.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact: 

Fiscalservice.otcchannel@citi.com
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Google 

Chrome

Microsoft 

Edge

Compatible with • •

Windows 10 and 11 • •

Built-in PDF viewer for 

OTCnet reports

• •

Reduced security 

vulnerabilities for OLB 

workstations

• •

Accelerated 

browsing speeds

• •

Simplified 

OLB Installation

• •

Streamlined for OTCnet 

domain migration

• •

OTCnet

Microsoft Retiring 

Internet Explorer 11, 

Google Chrome and 

Microsoft Edge 

Leading Alternatives

In June 2022, Microsoft and Windows 10 will end 

support for Internet Explorer 11 (IE 11). While 

OTCnet will continue supporting IE 11, rest assured 

OTCnet is compatible with leading browsers such as 

Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. See the table 

below to explore the advantages of these browsers.

OTCnet is compatible 

with leading browsers 
New IGT policy effective 1 October 2022

Effective October 1, 2022, agencies using credit cards to process an Intra-Governmental Card Transaction 

(IGT) will be expected to limit their credit card collections so that individual IGTs paid with a credit card do 

not exceed $10,000.00. The general limit on daily credit cardholder payments to federal agencies remains 

$24,999.99. The government’s card acceptance policies can be found in Treasury Financial Manual (TFM) 

Vol. I, Part 5, Chapter 7000 at https://tfm.fiscal.treasury.gov/v1/p5/c700.html.

An IGT is defined as the sale of goods or services, or collection of other obligations, by one government 

agency from another government agency using a government-issued card. Agencies may accept cards 

issued under the U.S. General Services Administration’s SmartPay contract for intra-governmental collections, 

if indicated on the agency application and approved in writing or via email by the Fiscal Service.

Agencies are encouraged to use another electronic collection alternative to government-issued credit cards 

for those IGT transactions that would exceed $10,000.00, such as Intra-Governmental Payment and Collection 

(IPAC) or G-Invoicing. 

• G-Invoicing - G-Invoicing (treasury.gov)

• IPAC - Intra-Governmental Payment and Collection (IPAC) (treasury.gov)

IPAC is a way for Federal Program Agencies (FPA) to transfer funds from one agency to another, using 

standardized descriptive data. 

G-Invoicing is the long-term solution for FPA to manage their IGT Buy/Sell transactions. G-Invoicing helps

(or will help) agencies and their trading partners: negotiate and accept General Terms and Conditions (GT&C)

agreements, broker orders, exchange performance information and validate settlement requests through IPAC.

Agencies pay any interchange fees associated with processing IGT credit card transactions. 

Agencies receive a direct bill from our Financial Agent (Comerica) and are solely responsible for the payment. 

Card Acquiring Service Updates

Keeping up with 

the Card Acquiring 

Service

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Agencies are responsible for ensuring their points of contact (POC) are up to date, specifically the billing

point of contact, and it is agency’s obligation to report changes in all POCs to Card Acquiring Service by 

email at CardAcquiringService@fiscal.treasury.gov.

CAS Contact Updates – It’s that time...

The CAS program embarks on several agency-facing endeavors annually. To ensure we have the most 

up-to-date points of contact (POC) information for your agency, please take the time to review your CAS 

program contact types at least twice annually (e.g. Chain, Merchant Identifier (MID), and Billing POCs). 

If contacts change at your agency, it is important that this is promptly communicated to the program so 

that your account can be updated accordingly. 

Questions regarding POC management or changes in POCs, should be sent via email to: 

CardAcquiringService@fiscal.treasury.gov

CAS Customer Service - Have an issue? Here’s how we can help.

Customer service and support has revolutionized over the past decade. Recent innovations focus on

automating customer service systems to promote faster, more efficient and streamlined customer services.

The CAS program (along with our partners at Worldpay from FIS) strives to provide the best customer 

support for card services to our Federal Program Agencies. Our program's success comes from 

understanding the needs of our customers so we can continue providing quality customer service.

Due to the multi-faceted nature of the CAS program, we have restructured high-frequency inquiries

amongst the support teams to better serve customer agencies. Take a look at some of our changes.

If a CAS Federal Agency customer has an inquiry/request related to:

• Terminal Support

• Reconciliation and Reporting

• Billing Inquiries

• Ordering Equipment or Supplies

• General Support Needs

Please contact the U.S. Treasury Support Line at 1-866-914-0558, 

24 hours a day, 7 days a week for assistance.

If a customer agency’s inquiry/request is not in reference to any of the aforementioned categories, 

contact the CAS Agency Outreach Mailbox at, CardAcquiringService@fiscal.treasury.gov and a representative 

from the Fiscal Service CAS Program will respond to your inquiry within two (2) business days. 

As the CAS program continues to revamp its processes, 

look for updates on our CAS Informational website, www.fiscal.treasury.gov/cas.
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CRS Background

Centralized Receivables Service (CRS) is a service 

Fiscal Service provides at no charge to federal 

agencies to assist in the management of current, 

non-tax receivables. CRS improves the efficiency 

and effectiveness of government-wide receivables 

management through increased and accelerated 

collections, the referral of debts to Cross-Servicing 

for delinquent debt collection, and the advancement 

of electronic transactions. CRS began as a pilot on 

December 31, 2012, with a goal of assessing and 

creating government-wide efficiencies in federal 

accounts receivables management. By tightly 

integrating CRS with Fiscal Service’s existing receipts 

processing, transaction reporting, and centralized 

delinquent debt collection operations, the U.S. 

Department of the Treasury (Treasury) enables federal 

agencies to transfer their end-to-end receivables 

management and increase their focus on core missions.

Currently, Our Financial Agent (FA) provides system, 

mailing, call center, and case management services 

that are substantially similar to what financial 

institutions provide to commercial customers. Fiscal 

Service owns all direct contact with federal agency 

stakeholders, provides FA oversight, and participates in 

user acceptance testing, agency outreach, and program 

implementation. Fiscal Service is also responsible for 

developing training and other informational materials.

As of December 31, 2021, CRS services 90 programs 

from 17 participating agencies resulting in the total 

servicing of 2.8 million receivables and the collection 

of $349 million. CRS continues to evaluate collection 

data and analyze agencies’ receivables collection 

needs. For more information contact 

ARM@fiscal.treasury.gov

CRS Current State 

The CRS program area launched its Financial Agent 

Selecting Processes (FASP) on November 18, 2020. 

The CRS FASP was an open competition to select and 

designate an FA to provide non-tax receivables while 

improving and adding new services. After utilizing 

the Fiscal Service’s established internal procedures 

to solicit and review applications and recommend 

the selection of an FA, the CRS team is pleased to 

announce that PNC will be our new FA, supporting a 

wide range of receivable services and taking CRS to 

the next generation. The CRS team will work with PNC 

to establish a transition plan and minimize risks with the 

transition. Once the transition is complete, CRS will be 

able to offer more receivable services while continuing 

state of the art user experiences. 

CRS Success Story

CRS has many success stories, and we would like 

to take this time to share one of them. During our 

November 4, 2021 annual CRS User Group Forum, 

Jerry Chapman from Fiscal Accounting Operations 

talked about how CRS is the right partner to help his 

program area handle one-time consumer receivables 

from Treasury Security (Savings Bonds) overpayments 

and double payments. Our relationship began on May 

20, 2013, when Fiscal Accounting Operations was 

looking for a platform to streamline process flows and 

better service Treasury’s customers. By August 2013, 

his program area began entering single-bond cases for 

processing in the CRS system, which were only 41% 

of all cases at that time. His program area needed an 

attachment feature to facilitate entering 2-bond cases 

in the CRS system. By December 2014 CRS added 

an attachment feature, and by September 2015, an 

automated batch attachment function was implemented 

to help his program area transmit multiple-bond cases 

Centralized Receivable 

Services (CRS)
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to CRS. Besides these new features, CRS provided a 

full-service call center, automatic case management 

services, and returned mail skip tracing; set up a collection 

module specific to their needs and helped with all 

congressional inquiries. 

These services and others helped to reduce incoming 

phone calls from 15,000 per year to about 1,500 per year 

while helping us to establish an 80% collection rate for the 

program area—all while making his program area a leading 

provider of shared services to the federal government. Our 

great partnership with his program has been growing year 

over year since 2013. 

CRS’s Future

Now that CRS’s FASP is completed and PNC has been 

designated a single FA to service non-tax receivables, 

we will focus on innovation, process improvement and 

continued operational excellence. While complying with 

all collection laws and data security requirements, our 

new platform will be able to support CRS to enhance the 

following categories:

• Compliance and the Customer Experience 

PNC will help us improve automation and technical 

innovation while increasing agency adoption and 

customer satisfaction. Customizing our program through 

configuration changes rather than software modifications 

will allow for a smoother change management process 

and improved product enhancements. As a result, 

agencies’ on-boarding process can occur with minimal 

time and effort. 

• System and Technical 

PNC will offer a cloud-based COTS solution for CRS’s 

agencies. This process enhances security and offers 

more customer agency-specific tools and features, such 

as a digital signature capability to reduce paperwork 

and support email and text-based communications. 

Moreover, this solution permits ad hoc customizable 

reporting, which is not currently available to our agencies. 

• Collections and Analytics 

With our new system platform, we will be able to analyze 

receivables, segment debts, and produce reports that 

provide insight into operations. The new platform will 

have tools and processes in place to assess receivables, 

categorize them, and assign a suitable amount of activity 

to collect on them. Using this platform will provide us 

with more insight into receivables, allow us to manage 

our resources more effectively, and increase our 

collection rate while lowering our collection costs. 

• Multi-Objective Criteria 

Innovation is the key to offering better services to our 

customers. With the new platform, CRS will be able 

to keep up with new debt collection technology while 

maintaining budget discipline. We will continue to provide 

high-quality customer service and upgrade our system 

without service disruptions. Our new FA will also partner 

with a debt collection agency to bring a much-needed 

increase in subject matter expertise into our collection 

process. With our new FA, CRS will be able to offer more 

services and increase collection rates. 
What is an ARM Rep?

Our mission is to deepen business relationships, increase

customer satisfaction, enhance the customer experience

and improve the delivery of revenue collection products and

services. The Agency Relationship Management (ARM)

division within Revenue Collections Management (RCM) is

responsible for managing the overall relationship between

RCM and federal agencies so the goals and objectives of the

government are aligned.

The ARM Division serves as the central point of contact

for promoting the RCM mission and vision to its internal

and external customers. To do this, Fiscal has adopted a

holistic approach to improve cash management

practices government-wide.

Agency Outreach is the process we use to establish

relationships with our federal agency customers in our

collections business.

Click HERE to learn more about ARM and RCM.

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"Fiscal has adopted a holistic approach 

to improve cash management practices 

government-wide."
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Key Function System Release # Release Date EFTPS Pay.gov CAS

Debit 

Gateway

Credit 

Gateway

CIR

Collateral Management TCMM R2.8 6/17/2022 

Collections OTCnet 4.1 (O&M) 6/18/2022 • • •

Collections Reporting CIR 6.8.3 6/18/2022 

Bank Oversight and Compliance BMS 1.13 7/8/2022 

Collections ECP 5.1 7/11/2022 • • •

Settlement Debit 

Gateway R2.16 8/6/2022 • • • •

Collections Pay.gov 7.21 8/6/2022 • • •

Transaction Reporting & Cash Concentration TCMS 

(TCMS/DVS)

"R2.14.1 

(R2022.08)" 8/20/2022

Collections OTCnet 4.2 (DME) 9/10/2022 • • •

RCM 

Schedule 

of 

Releases
For additional information: 

Agency.Outreach@scal.treasury.gov

AUGUST 24 - 25, 2022

WORKING TOGETHER FOR THE FUTURE

GFMCVirtual SM

2022

The Government Financial Management 

Conference (GFMC), sponsored by the 

Department of the Treasury’s Bureau of the 

Fiscal Service, will hold a free 2-day virtual 

event on August 24-25, 2022. Up to 10 

NASBA continuing professional education 

(CPE) credits can be earned.

Registration opens in July. 

For more information, check 

https://cvent.me/18Woo2

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Save the Date

Please 

RSVP

for additional information:

agency.outreach@fiscal.treasury.gov
Thank You for 

Reading

The RCM 

Collections 

Chronicle!

For information about 

RCM’s programs and 

services, please

contact your Agency 

Relationship Manager or 

the Agency Relationship 

Management (ARM)

Division via the ARM 

mailbox:

ARM@Fiscal.Treasury.gov

For a complete listing 

of Revenue Collections 

Management programs and 

services, please 

click here!

 @FiscalService

 @FiscalService

 Fiscal Service

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