[bypass navigation]
The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
[About the Fed] [Banking Information] [Community Development] [Consumer Information] [Economic Research] [Education Resources] [News and Events] [Publications] [Financial Services]  



Nationwide Direct Deposit Week Debuts in October

St. Louis Switches to New Viewing Software

Save Money, Time With Online Processing

Newsletters and Web Sites Offer Year 2000 Information

Major FedLine Changes Coming

Study Shows Education Needed on Direct Payment

District Roundup on EBT

ReserveNotes

Major FedLine Changes Coming

computer.gifGet ready, FedLine users! In 1999, several major changes will significantly improve FedLine® software by taking advantage of advances in computer and Internet technology.

Get Ready for Windows NT®

After extensive preparation and testing, we will introduce FedLine for Windows NT® in the first quarter of next year. You may have heard about the Fed's initiative to convert FedLine software from a DOS to a Windows® operating system. We plan to convert FedLine applications gradually according to the following 1999 schedule:

Phase One-First Quarter

  • Accounting
  • Funds Transfer
  • Large Dollar Return Items
  • Savings Bonds
  • Treasury Tax & Loan
  • Generic File Transfer (the ability to import and export files)

Phase Two-Second Quarter

  • ACH
  • Statistical Reporting and Reserves

Phase Three-Third Quarter

  • Book-Entry Securities
  • Taxpayer Deposit
  • Automated Auction
  • Check Services

Informational sessions will be available for you to learn more about FedLine for Windows NT (see Calendar for dates). Also, watch your mail later this year for the next version of the FedLine for the Windows NT® Workstation newsletter, which will discuss recent developments on the conversion, as well as list hardware requirements.

If you are thinking about purchasing hardware to accommodate Windows NT, please contact an Electronic Access Support representative. Requirements have been continually changing, and we want you to have the most current information. We also recommend that you wait to purchase any hardware until you upgrade to the new version of FedLine.

 

FedLine Functions Go Online

Not all existing FedLine applications will convert to Windows NT. We are developing a product so financial institutions can use the Internet to access some of the current FedLine services.

FedLine for the Web will be a new way for customers to communicate with us other than by using traditional FedLine software, fax, mail or telephone.

The way it works is simple. Instead of exchanging information with the Fed through your FedLine software, you will use the Internet. You need a computer with Internet access-FedLine software does not have to be loaded on the same computer. Using an off-the-shelf web browser, you will access the Fed's web server where the application software resides (data entry screens, field edits, help information, etc.).

Six applications under development for FedLine for the Web are: Cash Services, Check Image, Check Adjustments, Statistical Reporting, Noncompetitive Treasury Auction Tenders and Savings Bonds. We currently are evaluating other FedLine applications to see if they also would be appropriate for the Internet.

Several financial institutions across the Fed System are in various stages of piloting the web applications. Each is on a different production schedule; cash services will be the first online in mid-1999.

 

Only the Beginning

We continually look for new ways of using technology to help make FedLine a more flexible product and to improve your communication with the Fed. These two enhancements are just the start. If you have any questions on these upcoming changes, please contact Gary Auer in St. Louis at (314) 444-8948.

Taxpayer Deposit: EFTPS Option
for Offline Customers

We recently released a more user-friendly Taxpayer Deposit (TD) FedLine application. FedLine customers who do not use the online funds transfer service can use TD as an alternative way to submit same-day Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) transactions. TD is a backup to the ACH credit method and should not be used regularly.

The new TD application includes several enhancements:
  • Multiple choice lists that reflect current EFTPS tax type codes.
  • Modified tax type/field definitions that include tax forms and descriptions with corresponding prefixes and suffixes.
  • Renamed tax deposit screens that reflect the tax classification instead of the tax form.
  • Ability to reverse a federal tax deposit message transmitted on a previous day.
  • Removal of the enrollment screen, which is coordinated between the tax-payer and Treasury Financial Agents.

If you are a FedLine customer who wants this upgrade and has not yet received it, please call the FedLine Help Desk at 1-800-333-0861 and press 1 to speak with an Electronic Access Support representative.

Back to top