The Payment Application Modernization (PAM) initiative is one of FMS’ key modernization efforts that will have a 

significant impact on Federal Program Agencies. PAM will ultimately streamline the 30+ payment file variations and 

check faces into one standard input payment format and check face. PAM offers a standardized, automated, and 

streamlined payment process which ensures payments are made “on time, every time” for the millions of recipients who 

receive payments. 

Release 3.0

The first release of PAM in 2008 provided for the processing of only monthly Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 

payments within the PAM application. In February 2010, PAM interfaced with the Secure Payment System (SPS) to 

facilitate the streaming of payment certifications into PAM. The linking of PAM and SPS was an important precursor to 

this most recent release, PAM 3.0, which includes the processing of daily vendor, salary, travel, and miscellaneous 

payments. This major release provided significant functionality to the PAM application, including payment offset, 

standard check face and a standard agency notification report, that will be electronically delivered to Federal Program 

Agencies, upon FMS’ receipt of a payment file. It is important to note that new standardized input payment format will 

accommodate Government-wide Accounting (GWA) requirements to report Treasury Account Symbols (TAS) and 

Business Event Type Codes (BETC) at the time the payment is submitted. The transition to PAM 3.0 will take place 

from November, 2010 through May, 2011. It will begin with bulk payment submissions, also known as “Type B” 

payments, then transition manual payments keyed into SPS, also known as “Type A” payments. Prior to moving your 

Federal Program Agency’s payments into PAM 3.0, you will be contacted by your Regional Financial Center (RFC) to 

ensure that there are no processing issues. Contacts at each of the RFC’s are included below: 

PAM 3.0 Points of Contact (RFCs): 

AFC – Gay Wallace – 512-342-7288 or Gay.Wallace@fms.treas.gov 

KFC – Lori Meyer – 816-414-2337 or Lori.Meyer@fms.treas.gov 

PFC – Bobbie Mickens – 215-516-8074 or Bobbie.Mickens@fms.treas.gov 

SFC – Baron Woods – 510-594-7135 or Baron.Woods@fms.treas.gov 

Special Notice to Certifying Officers

Currently, agency payment requests are processed by an RFC at the end of the day, 

which allows the Certifying Officer the convenience of correcting or cancelling the 

issuance of a potentially erroneous payment file, if it is detected within a few hours 

of certification. 

Please note that one of benefits to the automation PAM provides is the near 

instantaneous processing of payments as they are received into the RFC. When your 

Federal Program Agency is converted to PAM 3.0, the window available to make 

corrections to an erroneous certified payment file will be eliminated. In other words, 

if your Federal Program Agency certifies payment schedule without any errors (i.e. 

totals dollar value and item count match), it will be automatically processed by PAM. 

This change makes it even more critical for Certifying Officers to ensure, with 

absolute certainty, that the payments they are certifying are legal, proper and correct. 

Payment Application Modernization, What Do I Need to Know? 

Written by Lisa Andre, AAP, Manager, Customer Service Branch 

Philadelphia Financial Center 

PFC Journal 

Inside this issue:

Payment Application 

Modernization (PAM) 

1-2 

Transaction Reporting 

System (TRS) 

4 

EFT Non-Receipts Made 

Easy 

5 

Payment Management 

Customer Conference 

6-7 

Corporate Trade Exchange 

(CTX) 

8 

Is Your ALC Information 

up to Date? 

3 
Standard Check Face

One of the most tangible changes within in PAM 3.0 is the introduction of a standard check face for all FMS-issued 

checks. The standard check face brings together some 30 variations of check information included on checks by Federal 

Program Agencies across the U.S. Government. Below is a sample of the standard Treasury check. This change is 

particularly important to Federal Program Agencies who employ Help Desks, as they may receive inquiries related to the 

new arrangement of data on the Treasury check. 

PAM Standard Format

Effective October 1, 2014, all Federal Program Agencies utilizing FMS’ disbursement services will be required to 

submit payment requests in the PAM standard input format. Much of the information associated with payments is 

uniform and lends itself to using a standard format. Using the new PAM standard format, your agency will be able to 

provide Treasury Account Symbol/Business Event Type Code (TAS/BETC) information along with your payment files, 

satisfying Governmentwide Accounting (GWA) reporting requirements. This format will be utilized for both check and 

electronic payments (ACH/Wire) payments submitted to the RFCs. In mid-2012, necessary changes within SPS will be 

complete and will facilitate use of both the standard format as well as GWA reporting requirements. The current version 

of the PAM standard format can be found at: fms.treas.gov/pam/input_file_specifications.pdf. If your Federal Program 

Agency is not ready to convert to the standard format in mid-2012, they will have until October 1, 2014, to become 

compliant. Providing Federal Program Agencies with this lead time should allow ample time to plan and budget for these 

new changes. Webinar training on the standard format is available on dates listed at the following site: http://

www.fms.treas.gov/pam/formats.html. 

PFC will play an integral role in ensuring that the Federal Program Agencies we service receive timely information 

regarding these upcoming changes. In addition to being featured at our June, 2011 Agency Meeting, PFC will also be 

offering PAM standard format training in the Washington, DC area in the Summer and Fall of 2011. 

For more information or to download the requirement specification documents of the PAM standard input file format 

and/or the standard agency notification report, please visit the PAM website at: http://www.fms.treas.gov/pam or Lisa 

Andre at 215-516-8142 or Lisa.Andre@fms.treas.gov. 

Page 2 

 Spring 2011 Edition 

Signature 

Date ALC Check Number 

Print Sequence Schedule PACER Class Enclosure 

Payment Application Modernization (continued) 
The Agency Location Code (ALC) information contained on the Treasury Central Accounting System (STAR) 

is essential, as this allows the Treasury Department to have current contact data on file for all agencies. 

Therefore, the Financial Management Service (FMS) requests that all agencies review and verify this data to 

ensure it is accurate and up-to-date. This information can be viewed in GOALS or CA$HLINK. The person 

responsible for submitting the FMS 224 can view the data in GOALS by selecting the FMS Form 224, 

highlight reports on the tool bar and select ALC Query. To view data in CA$HLINK, change the drop down 

box on the upper right corner from MY CA$HLINK to REX/PAD Manager, then highlight inquiry on the tool 

bar and select STAR ALC Information Query. 

If your agency needs to change the information, please submit changes in writing on agency letterhead via US 

Mail to the addresses below: 

For 8 digit ALCs: 

Financial Management Service

Governmentwide Accounting

Cash Accounting Division 

Cash Analysis Branch - Crystal Madison, Manager 

3700 East-West Highway, Room 500E

Hyattsville, MD 20782 

(202) 874-8887 - Fax requests for 8-digit ALC’s (must be a written request on agency letterhead)

For additional questions or assistance with 8 digit ALCs, please contact Margie Neville (Cash Accounting 

Division) at (202) 874-8891 or Margie.Neville@fms.treas.gov. 

For 3 or 4 digit ALCs: 

Financial Management Service

Payment Management 

Check Resolution Division 

Check Reconciliation Branch 

3700 East-West Highway, Room 709A

Hyattsville, MD 20782

For additional questions or assistance with 3 or 4 digit ALCs, please contact Brent Weaver (Check 

Reconciliation Branch) at (202) 874-8259 or Brent.Weaver@fms.treas.gov. 

Is Your ALC Information Up to Date? 

Written by Phyllis Daniels, Supervisory Claims Analyst 

Page 3 

 Spring 2011 Edition 
The Transaction Reporting System (TRS) serves an important purpose in the Financial Management Service’s 

Collections & Cash Management Modernization (CCMM) initiative, which calls for simplification and 

modernization of the Federal Government collections systems and associated reporting. TRS is a single 

reporting system that provides deposit and collection information for Federal Program Agencies (FPAs). It 

brings together summary and detailed financial transaction information from collections systems and 

settlement mechanisms. As a system that touches all of FMS’ collection systems, TRS will provide a single 

touch-point for the exchange of collection transactions. TRS offers a great improvement to the way Federal 

Program Agencies collect, analyze and distribute information, which, in turn, will eliminate redundancies and 

disconnects between point of contacts and FPAs. 

TRS will include Deposit Vouchers, which summarize financial transactions related to collections, as well as 

the financial instruments used to make the collection. It is important to note that TRS will only contain 

revenue collections information. Intra-agency transfers and payments will be supported by separate systems 

(i.e. IPAC). TRS provides file transmissions in the standard XML schema developed for TRS. This schema 

can be found at: http://www.fms.treas.gov/eda/schema.html. Report data will be available in flexible formats 

such as PDF, Excel, and comma-delimited. 

TRS supports the Government-wide Accounting (GWA) Modernization initiative by providing classification 

information associated with the transactions. TRS is expected to reduce the burden and cost of reconciliation 

between FPA’s Core Financial Systems and the Government-wide Accounting System (GWA). However, it is 

important to note that TRS is intended to be strictly a reporting mechanism. TRS will allow users to view 

classifications (i.e. TAS/BETCs and/or Classification Keys) that are reported by source systems, but in order 

to reclassify collections, agencies will need to submit changes directly to GWA. 

Access to data in TRS will be secured in accordance with Federal Information Security Management Act of 

2002 (FISMA) and other federal laws and regulations for IT systems security that apply. TRS will retain data 

for seven years. However, litigation-related data will be stored indefinitely. 

Through CCMM and TRS, FMS expects to significantly reduce the cost of collections, with potential cost 

savings of $100 million each year. TRS will help manage the quality of incoming financial transactions 

information from financial institutions and provide more detailed, real-time information for deposit reporting 

and cash concentration and forecasting purposes. TRS is also expected to significantly improve the ability of 

the U.S. Treasury to more precisely manage its financial position on a real-time basis throughout the day. 

For more information on TRS, please contact the TRS Agency Outreach Hotline at (301) 699-6814 or visit: 

http://www.fms.treas.gov/trs. 

Page 4 

 Spring 2011 Edition 

Transaction Reporting System 

Written by Vendetta Patterson, Management & Program Analyst 
Page 5 

 Spring 2011 Edition 

ACH Non-Receipts Made Easy 

Written by Vendetta Patterson, Management & Program Analyst 

Each year over 140,000 tax refund recipients file claims with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), alleging they did not 

receive their Automated Clearing House (ACH) payment, otherwise known as Electronic Funds Transfer (EFTs). The 

FMS Form 150.1 (pictured at right) is used to confirm the receipt of ACH payments. Upon receipt of this form, a 

financial institution is obligated to provide the Financial Management Service (FMS) with a status of the payment. 

Often times, a financial institution’s response to the FMS 150.1 form requires follow-up due to the need for additional 

information. In an effort to minimize the necessary follow-up work between FMS and the financial institutions, the 

Philadelphia Financial Center (PFC) recently made updates to the form. The updated FMS 150.1 form now offers 

financial institutions better options when 

sending a response to FMS. 

• If the payment was misdirected (the name 

on the account does not match the intended 

payee’s), the financial institution can 

indicate whether there are any funds are 

available to return. 

• The financial institution can specify if the 

funds were returned through ACH, and 

when the payment was returned. 

• If the payment could not be sent back 

through ACH, the financial institution can 

indicate whether or not the funds were 

returned by an official bank check. 

The revised FMS 150.1 also incorporates 

language from the recently amended Right to 

Financial Privacy Act of 1978 (12 USC 3413 

(k) - Disclosure Necessary for Proper 

Administration of Programs of Certain 

Government Authorities), which allows 

financial institutions, at their discretion, to 

include account-owner information for issuing 

Federal Program Agency use only. This 

additional information allows the Federal 

Program Agency an improved opportunity for 

collecting misdirected payments from 

unintended recipients. 

The revised FMS 150.1 provides a more 

convenient mechanism for financial 

institutions responding to FMS, as well as 

reducing the additional follow-up steps FMS must take to resolve a claim, thus improving 

the speed at which FMS can provide the results of an investigation to the issuing Federal Program Agency. 

For more information on ACH Non-Receipts, please visit: fms.treas.gov/greenbook/pdf/NonreceiptRevNov2009.pdf. 

For specific questions, please contact the Philadelphia Financial Center’s Help Desk at 215-516-8154 or 

philly@fms.treas.gov. 

FMS 150.1 Form 
Event Offers Agencies Critical Updates and an Opportunity to Network with Fellow Federal Sector Associates; 

Provides a Shining Example of Teamwork within the Financial Management Service (FMS) 

FMS’ Payment Management Division held the 2010 Customer Conference on August 24-25, 2010. The conference was 

hosted in Broomfield, Colorado, at the Omni Interlocken Hotel, situated in the picturesque Rocky Mountains. This 

conference offered customers a rare opportunity to interact with staff from the four (4) Regional Financial Centers 

(RFCs), the Birmingham Debt Management Operations Center (BDMOC), and the Washington office. 

The event featured key note addresses from David Lebryk, Commissioner of FMS, and Sheryl Morrow, Assistant 

Commissioner of Payment Management. David shared his thoughts on the changes agencies are facing as FMS moves 

towards standardizing financial reporting as well as the results of the recent FMS Consolidated Customer Survey. He 

emphasized how important it is for FMS to continue to provide top-notch services to our customers across all divisions 

of FMS, and our commitment to continuous improvement. Sheryl’s address focused on the future of the Payment 

Management Division. Her address provided a great deal of information on the “All Electronic Initiative”, and the 

impact it is expected to have upon the Payment Management Division. 

This conference featured several agency testimonials, which put a face to the users of FMS’ products and services. The 

use of testimonials offered agencies with a direct link to others who have implemented FMS’ products and services and 

the challenges and successes they have encountered. In addition to the key note addresses, the event also featured 

presentations from various FMS Program Areas on the following topics: 

• Payment Application Modernization (PAM) 

• Secure Payment System (SPS) 

• Government-wide Accounting and Modernization Project (GWAMP) 

• Payments 101 

• Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) 

• Debt Management Services (DMS) 

• International Treasury Services (ITS.gov) 

• US Debit Card 

• Treasury Check Information System (TCIS) 

• Internet Payment Platform (IPP) 

• Collections and Cash Management Modernization (CCMM) 

• Transaction Reporting System (TRS) 

The conference featured a panel discussion entitled “Are You Smarter than a Regional Director?”, that was moderated 

by FMS’ Deputy Commissioner, Wanda Rogers. The panel consisted of Bob Mange, Director of the Austin Financial 

Center (AFC); Gary Beets, Director of KFC; Betty Belinsky, Director of the Philadelphia Financial Center (PFC); and 

Phil Belisle, Director of SFC. This light-hearted approach to payment policy offered a serious look at the issues 

affecting Certifying Officers and emphasized the rules and regulations they need be aware of when certifying Federal 

payments. 

This event was also FMS’ first external conference that utilized I-Clicker technology. I-Clickers allow speakers to ask 

questions and receive real-time results from the audience. With I-Clickers, the questions are posed in a multiple choice 

format and each attendant can record their answer through their I-Clicker. For a conference of this size, the I-Clickers 

Payment Management Customer Conference: A Resounding Success 

Written by Lisa Andre, AAP, Manager, Customer Service Branch 

Page 6 

 Spring 2011 Edition 
offered a fun and easy way to gauge attendees’ knowledge of the subject matter and an opportunity to be more engaged 

in the presentations. The group was supported by Peggy Gardiner, Payment Management Division, on the effective use 

of I-Clicker technology and its best use in such a large conference setting. 

A workgroup composed of representatives worked over the last eighteen months to organize this conference. Francie 

Abbott from KFC served as project lead for this workgroup and provided stellar leadership and commitment which 

spanned from the selection of the location to the execution of the conference. Each RFC was tasked with various 

responsibilities related to the planning and organization of this conference. This collective approach allowed the RFC’s 

to work together effectively, ultimately resulting in an informative and enjoyable experience for each of the attendees. 

Members of the planning team included: 

• John Rogers (AFC) 

• Joan Harper (AFC) 

• Catherine Young (AFC) 

• Francie Abbott (KFC) 

• Thomas Nelson (KFC) 

• Lauren Ray (KFC) 

• Lisa Andre (PFC) 

• Matthew Helfrich (PFC) 

• Rick Corrigan (SFC) 

• AnneMarie Arnold (SFC) 

• Michelle Lacome (SFC) 

• Fay Rurup (SFC) 

Additionally, the event received multimedia support from Mike Mc Gill, IT Specialist at KFC. His assistance ensured 

the event ran smoothly from a technical perspective. 

Attendee evaluations conveyed the attendees’ high level of satisfaction with Payment Management Customer 

Conference. Through the hard work and commitment of the RFC’s, speakers and the Omni Interlocken Hotel, the 

conference was a resounding success. Much like 2008, the Payment Management Customer Conference offered 

customers a rare opportunity – being able to interact with the major players in FMS programs and services, as well as 

other fellow agency representatives. The event was conducive to networking and the sharing of best practices across 

agencies. As an agency, FMS is committed to fostering strong key collaborative relationships, and as such networking is 

critical to continuing to build upon the relationships with our customers that we value so much. We are looking forward 

to the next conference which will be held in Summer of 2012! 

Page 7 

 Spring 2011 Edition 

Payment Management Customer Conference (continued)
PFC Agency Meeting 

June 8-9, 2011~ Bureau of Engraving & Printing, Washington, DC 8:00am—4:30pm 

 

Agenda: 

• U.S. Debit Card 

• All-Electronic Initiative 

• Internet Payment Platform (IPP) 

• Government-wide Accounting (GWA) 

• Payment Application Modernization (PAM) 

• Transaction Reporting System (TRS) 

 

You can enroll for the meeting online at http://www.fms.treas.gov/pfc/training.html. 

Space is very limited, so sign up today! 

The Philadelphia Financial Center Newsletter entitled PFC Journal is presented by the 

Customer Service Branch and addresses a variety of topics of interest to individuals in 

the Federal financial community.

The PFC Journal is available exclusively on our website. 

http://www.fms.treas.gov/pfc

P.O. Box 51317 

Philadelphia, PA 19115 

Phone: 215-516-8000 

Fax: 215-516-8010 

Email:philly@fms.treas.gov 

 Spring 2011 Edition 

CTX: An Alternative to Making Many Individual Payments to the Same Vendor 

Written by Vendetta Patterson, Management & Program Analyst 

Contacts for Agency Meeting

Diane Jackson—215-516-8028 

Diane.Jackson@fms.treas.gov 

Deborah Jackson—215-516-8027

Debbie.Jackson@fms.treas.gov 

Vendetta Patterson—215-516-8191

Vendetta.Patterson@fms.treas.gov 

Corporate Trade Exchange (CTX) is an Automated Clearing House (ACH) format used by Federal Program Agencies to 

pay vendors who are receiving a large volume of small payments, often on the same day. CTX makes it possible for one 

payment to satisfy multiple invoices, since remittance information is transmitted to the financial institution along with 

the payment. The CTX format accommodates up to 9,999 addenda records per payment (with 80 characters of 

identifying information), which can be used to communicate invoice and/or contract numbers or amount of each 

individual payment. 

CTX is a great option for Federal Program Agencies who pay the same vendors multiple times on the same business day, 

such as travel payments, credit card payments or phone carriers. It structures the remittance information according to the 

electronic data interchange (EDI) standards, which facilitates a vendor’s ability to process information directly into their 

accounting system. It provides necessary remittance information in a friendly format, thereby consolidating the volume 

of payments Federal Program Agencies need to issue to their most frequently used vendors. For more information on 

CTX transactions, please contact Lisa Andre, Accredited Automated Clearing House Professional (AAP) at 215-516-

8142 or Lisa.Andre@fms.treas.gov.