# Wire Room: What It Is, How It Works, FAQs

## What Is a Wire Room?

Wire rooms are facilities used by financial institutions to process fund transfers and order requests on behalf of clients. Typical tasks performed by wire room staff include receiving trade orders from [brokers](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/broker.asp) and other registered representatives, transmitting those orders to the [exchange floor](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/trading_floor.asp) or the firm's trading department, and relaying notices of executed trade orders back to the brokers involved.

As financial services become increasingly automated, many of these functions have now been replaced by computerized systems.

### Key Takeaways

*   A wire room is a department dedicated to fulfilling client fund transfers and order requests.
*   Common examples include processing new deposits and withdrawals or implementing purchase or sales orders conveyed through client brokers.
*   Wire rooms have security measures in place to prevent fraud and ensure transactions are completed correctly as well as being required to maintain files and records of all business conducted.
*   Historically, wire rooms involved a large amount of staff. However, advances in automation have meant that a growing percentage of these functions are now performed by computerized systems.

## Understanding a Wire Room

Large firms can have entire teams of staff dedicated to the wire room, while smaller firms may have staff members rotate between the wire room and other responsibilities. Increasingly, though, these tasks are becoming less reliant on humans as companies continue to automate their workflows using computers and software solutions.

Nevertheless, wire rooms remain an important part of a firm's operations. Their main function consists of receiving orders from brokers on behalf of clients, which are then passed through to the firm's traders either inside the trading department or on the floor of the relevant [stock exchange](https://www.investopedia.com/articles/basics/04/092404.asp).

The traders will then make the relevant purchases on behalf of the client before relaying the completed order information to the wire room once the trades are finalized. The wire room staff will then inform the broker, who in turn notifies the client that their order has been filled.

Among banks, the wire room may have access to a FedLine PC, which is a computer used to access Federal Reserve banking services. For smaller banks, banking software may be used which allows the firm to create payment orders in the [Fedwire](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/fedwire.asp) Funds Service format so that they can then be uploaded to a FedLine PC located at another institution.

> **Important**
>
> Today, wire rooms are more prevalent in smaller banks whereas large banks utilize complex, customized systems to facilitate traditional wire room functions.

Any institution with a wire room should have security procedures in place to make sure that all incoming and outgoing payment orders are legitimate and accurate. Security procedures can include having a second staff member review outgoing payment orders, using code words and callbacks, and authorizing only certain employees to send and receive payment orders.

Similarly, wire rooms are required to keep detailed records of all incoming and outgoing payment orders. Historically, this was accomplished using physical printouts of all messages sent and received. Staff members would need to review these records regularly throughout the day, reporting any missing messages immediately.

## Special Considerations

Today, many financial firms operate using highly automated workflows. Accordingly, many of these processes can be effectively combined. 

For instance, [discount brokerage services](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/discountbroker.asp) can allow clients to fund their accounts, execute trade orders, and generate account management reports all from within an online user interface. 

In this situation, there are often few, if any, human staff involved. Instead, all client requests are received and fulfilled electronically by advanced computer systems, often within seconds or less.

## What Is a Wire Transfer?

A wire transfer is the electronic movement of money from one party to another without the exchange of cash. Wire transfers are conducted between financial institutions on behalf of clients and facilitate funds transfers across different regions.  

## What Is a Banking Room?

A banking room is a room in a financial institution, typically a bank, where banking clerks or tellers sit in order to facilitate banking services for clients in person. Types of services most often include deposits, withdrawals, and transfers.

## Are Wire Transfers Immediate?

Most domestic wire transfers are completed within 24 hours. International wire transfers can take a few days. Certain wire transfers, such as those within the same financial institution can often be done immediately.

> **Article Sources**
>
> 1.  The Federal Reserve Services. "[FedLine Solutions](https://www.frbservices.org/fedline-solutions/index.html)." Accessed Oct. 18, 2021.
>     
> 2.  The Federal Reserve Services. "[Fedwire® Funds Service](https://www.frbservices.org/financial-services/wires/index.html)." Accessed Oct. 18, 2021.