Secondary RTN (Subaccount or Other Secondary RTN)

A Secondary RTN is an RTN, other than the Primary RTN, that has been assigned to a financial institution by the Registrar of Routing Numbers.

An Account Holder may use Secondary Routing Transit Numbers (“Secondary RTNs”) to segregate Debit and Credit Transaction Activity settling in the Master Account. There are two types of Secondary RTNs – Subaccount RTNs and Other Secondary RTNs¹. Both can be used to identify certain Debit and Credit Transaction Activity, although Other Secondary RTNs, while more flexible in how they report information, are more limited in the type of information that can be reported.

Specifically, Subaccount RTNs can be used to identify information that is reported directly to the financial institution’s Master Account.  Other Secondary RTNs can also be used to identify information that can be reported directly to the Master Account, but also can be used to report this information to the Master Account through a Subaccount RTN or through another Other Secondary RTN assigned to the Account Holder, so long as the reporting structure is limited to three tiers.

The Federal Reserve Banks do not restrict the number of Secondary RTNs your institution may hold and does not charge a fee for using Secondary RTNs. However, beyond a certain number of Secondary RTNs, you may find that the incremental complexity of reconciling Secondary RTN data outweighs the benefits of the additional transaction information. If you already have capabilities to segregate account information, such as systems that automatically reconcile your accounting files with ours, you may not need Secondary RTNs. Accounting Services Customer Support representatives at your local Federal Reserve Bank can assist you in determining the optimal structure for your account relationship and whether or not Secondary RTNs are necessary to meet your information and settlement needs. More detailed information on the use of Secondary RTNs can be found in the Account Structure Guide.

If your organization utilizes a Secondary RTN you are eligible to establish additional services by completing the following Accounting Services forms:

• Form 1 – Daily Statement of Account and Monthly Statement of Service Charges Delivery Options
• Form 4B – Delivery Profile for Intra-Day Premium Services
• Form 6 – Affiliate Access
• AIS Form 7 – Request for Fedwire Details via the Search Feature in the AMI Application (Subaccounts only)

Please refer to the Accounting Information Services (AIS) Subscription Instructions document to determine those services that Secondary RTNs are eligible for.

Footnote

¹ The term “Other Secondary RTN,” which is not defined in OC 1, is a Secondary RTN and is defined as a number that identifies certain Debit and Credit Transaction Activity of a financial institution that is reported directly to the financial institution’s Master Account or reported to the Master Account through a Subaccount RTN or through another Other Secondary RTN assigned to the Account Holder.

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