Standard Run Time Edition (SRTE) of
the FAO Microbanking System


I INTRODUCTION

A. Overall Features

The MicroBanker Standard Runtime Edition (SRTE) is a unique banking software package that combines real-time transaction processing, general accounting and information retrieval functions with the low-cost of micro computer hardware. The system covers Loans, Savings Accounts, Time Deposits, Customer Information and General Ledger in one integrated package.

The MicroBanker SRTE is the latest edition of the FAO MicroBanking System that was first developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1988. At the end of 1996, the FAO MicroBanking system was being used in more than 850 offices in over 20 countries all over the world.

MicroBanker SRTE offers a low cost approach towards automation for financial institutions that are able and willing to standardize their operations within the range of options provided by the SRTE (see attached Product Information Sheets for details). The system is recommended for offices with 500 or more loan accounts or 1,000 or more savings and time deposit accounts and an average transaction volume in excess of 30 transactions per day. The MicroBanker SRTE can be run either on a stand-alone PC ("Single Teller") or on a network of PCs ("Multi Teller"). In general, the single teller system should be adequate for offices that have less than 100 transactions per day. Transaction volumes greater than that may soon require a multi-teller system. In many cases, banks that wish to install the SRTE as a multi-teller system would require external assistance with the setting up of their Local Area Network (LAN) software. The MicroBanker SRTE runs on Intel 80xxx based micro computers under the Microsoft MS DOS operating system and on the Novell and the Lantastic network operating systems.

The MicroBanker SRTE is customized by the users themselves within a range of options that cover most international standards. A menu-driven Configurator programme enables the user to install the required adaptations to the SRTE. The Fact Sheets included in this folder present the available features for each of the applications. The SRTE may be installed by persons with minimal computer background. However, familiarity with the financial institution's products, reporting requirements, customer and product classifications, operational and accounting procedures is required. The MicroBanker SRTE includes a 350-page Installation and User Manual.

B. Distribution and Support

The MicroBanker SRTE is sold by
FAO/the Marketing and Rural Finance Service (AGSM),
Via delle Terme di Caracalla,
00100 Rome,
Italy,
telephone: 39-6-5225 3463/5225 3025.
email: MicroBanker@fao.org
The buyers of the Software are entitled to after-sales end-user support through mail, fax, telephone or E-Mail. Locations of such support will be communicated to buyers at the time of sale.


II SECURITY AND CONTROL

A. Security Access, Data Security and Control Features

The MicroBanker SRTE has a number of important built-in security and control features which make it highly suitable for use on stand-alone or networked MS DOS-based micro computers in remote rural areas and in small offices where supervisor control is minimal.

  • System access operates exclusively through a pre-authorized teller number, and teller-selectable and changeable secret password consisting of four characters.
  • Record-level data security is assured through an encryption algorithm that protects sensitive system information against outside manipulation.
  • Seven levels of access control to the various system functions.
  • Automatic data-recovery restores data integrity after system crash and informs the operator when a transaction needs to be re-entered.
  • Paper audit trail and hardcopy account listings allow for a smooth shift to manual operations in case of prolonged power failure or hardware breakdown.
  • Built-in workflow control minimizes the possibility of operator errors and automates major daily, monthly, quarterly and annual maintenance operations.
  • The system maintains up to seven generations of data back-up, one for each working day of the week. The end-of-day backup and end-of-month backup to diskette are enforced by the system.


III PRODUCT INFORMATION

A. SRTE System Features

1. Security, Auditing and Backup Facilities

  • Seven (7) levels of security access authority with three-digit teller code and four-digit teller password.
  • Record encryption protects data against unauthorized modification from outside the MicroBanker system.
  • Maintenance of up to seven generations of back-up data through enforced end-of-day backing-up routine.
  • Automatic data recovery routines restore data integrity after system crash and informs operator if a transaction needs to be re-entered.
  • Audit trail, supported by transaction vouchers and hard copy daily transaction and account listings and recording of number and date of previous transaction. Records teller code with each transaction.
  • Daily hard copy account listings, designed for smooth switch from automated to manual operations in case of an emergency due to prolonged power interruptions or hardware breakdown.

2. Other Functions and Features

  • Currently available in English, French and Spanish language versions are under preparation and expected to be released in 1995.
  • Supports the following formats for financial fields: (i) American (ii) European (iii) Indian "lakh format" (iv) Unformatted. Number of decimal places may be two or none. A total of 15 digits is supported for customer account balances and 17 digits for GL balances.
  • Supports American, British or international date format, either with slash (/) or period (.) separators.
  • Real time transaction processing, with end-of-day update of the respective general ledger accounts. Real time processing of user generated, general ledger journals.
  • Transaction volumes in excess of 2,000 transactions per day have been achieved without speed degradation.
  • Provides, in addition to real time transaction processing, back office batch processing facilities.
  • Mixed batches allow posting of transactions across all applications, including GL, from one batch.
  • Integrated customer, savings, loan, time deposit and general ledger modules with posting of general ledger transactions from within the MicroBanker system.
  • Generation of automatic journals for transactions between customer accounts and between customer and GL accounts (see Product Sheets for the respective products).
  • Central customer file provides instant access to all accounts held by one customer.
  • Customer records accessible through any of the customer's accounts numbers and, vice versa, account records accessible via the customer record.
  • Access to specified sets of routines allowed by user-defined teller authority levels.
  • Control of proper sequencing of beginning and end-of-period operations prevents operator errors.
  • Enforced balancing of a teller's cash and cheques on-hand with computer entries maintains full cash control. One GL Cash and one GL Cheque account for each authorized teller.
  • User modifiable four character transaction codes.

B. Customer Information

1. Functions and Features

  • Central customer file with protection against the creation of duplicate customer records.
  • Customer oriented with instant access to all the customer's accounts, on screen as well as in printed form.
  • The system imposes no limit on the number of savings, time deposit or loan accounts per customer.
  • The number of clients and accounts per system is limited only by hard disk space.
  • Facility to set relationship between customer records of spouses for instant access to the other spouse.
  • Up to four user-defined customer classification codes. Each code is three characters with a break after the first character for purpose of sub-classification.
  • Customer record accessible by (i) Customer number (ii) National ID number (iii) Name or part of the customer's name (iv) Any of the customer's accounts (v) One customer classification code.
  • Control of age-specific savings products through the customer's date of birth (see also the Product Information Sheet for Savings Accounts).
  • Maintains historic loan information for each client, which is retrieved when the client applies for another loan.

The following customer information can be maintained: (i) first name (ii) surname (iii) initials (iv) user defined titles (v) national ID number (vi) date of birth (vii) gender (viii) 3 address lines (ix) postal code (x) phone number (xi) user defined civil status (xii) value of securities lodged (xiii) tax code (xiv) spouse's national ID number (xv) spouse's customer number (xvi) spouse's name (xvii) up to four user-defined customer codes.

C. Savings Accounts

1. Functions and Features

  • Fully integrated with Loans, Time Deposit, Customer and General Ledger modules.
  • Automatic generation of journals for (i) Monthly or Quarterly interest transfer from Time Deposit to Savings Account (ii) Automatic recoveries from Savings Accounts to repay a loan.
  • System imposes no limit to the number of savings products per bank.
  • No limit to the number of savings products per bank.
  • Automatic update of General Ledger at end-of-day.
  • Automatic update of General Ledger for interest accruals at the end-of-month.
  • Controls for (i) Verification of available balance upon withdrawal (ii) Transactions on dormant accounts (iii) Maintenance of user defined minimum balance (iv) User defined minimum balance for purpose of interest earning.
  • Products definable with/without passbook.
  • User selectable options for no-book deposits and no-book withdrawals.
  • Automatic update of "un-posted" transactions in customer's passbook such as debit/credit memos, no-book deposits and withdrawals, interest credits and withholding tax debits.
  • Statement of Account printing upon customer request.
  • User selectable automatic or manual clearing of cheques.
  • User defined period for dormancy with automatic transfer to dormant status and to dormant GL account.
  • User defined charges for dormant accounts.
  • Full support for passbookless operations.
  • Full support for ledgerless operations.
  • "Contract" savings account permits option for bonus interest for savers who adhere to prior agreed monthly "contract" deposit.
  • Facility to place a Hold on (part of) the balance of an account for a specified period of time.
  • Facility to define and control opening of "senior citizen" or "junior" accounts as a function of the age of the client.
  • Dual account ownership allows full customer information of both customers for one account.

2. Interest

  • Choice of straight daily balance or graduated daily balance, selectable by product. The graduated rate depends on the balance of the account; for this purpose, a maximum of five balance brackets may be specified.
  • User selectable monthly, quarterly bi-annual or annual interest capitalization.
  • Withholding tax option with up to nine tax tables as function of the category of lient. If applicable, withholding tax is automatically debited at the time of capitalization. Products and/or customers may be tax exempt.
  • Choice of treatment of uncleared cheques as to whether interest is payable or not payable on such cheques.
  • Separate, user-defined, (i) compulsory minimum balance, (ii) minimum balance for purpose of interest computation.
  • Choice of treatment of dormant accounts as to whether interest is payable or not.
  • Choice of current account period interest payable/not payable upon account closure.

D. Time Deposits

1. Functions and Features

  • Fully integrated with Loans, Savings, Customer and General Ledger modules.
  • Automatic generation of journals for monthly or quarterly interest transfer of savings, loan or GL payorder account.
  • System places no limit on the number of accounts per customer.
  • No limit to the number of Time Deposit products per bank.
  • Automatic update of General Ledger accounts at end-of-day and for interest accruals at end-of-month.
  • Control of (i) Pre-termination (ii) Dormancy after maturity (iii) Validation of interest rates, periods and minimum and maximum amounts per bracket during opening.
  • Support for pre-numbered Certificates.
  • User defined period of dormancy, defined as number of months after maturity without rollover.
  • Full support for ledgerless operations.
  • Facility to place a Hold on (part of) the balance of an account for a specified period of time.
  • Single or dual ownership.

2. Interest

  • Per product, interest rate may be a function of the term, the amount or a combination of both. Maximum of eight term brackets and five amount brackets.
  • Interest payments may be specified monthly, quarterly, upon maturity or at any time. Monthly and quarterly interest payments may be specified to a loan or savings account or to a GL payorder account.
  • Upon maturity, the time deposit may be renewed ("rolled over") with or without interest.
  • Interest after maturity (and when not renewed) payable at the savings rate or at any other, specified, rate.
  • Interest in case of pre-termination may be specified at (i) savings rate (ii) special rate (iii) time-based rate, depending on the actual completed term.
  • Withholding tax option with up to nine tax tables as function of the category of client, if applicable, withholding tax is automatically debited.

E. Loans

1. Functions and Features

  • Fully integrated with Savings, Time Deposits, Customer and General Ledger modules.
  • Automatic generation of journals for monthly or quarterly interest transfer from Time Deposit and for transfer from a savings account for the purpose of loan repayment.
  • System imposes no limit on the number of accounts per customer.
  • No limit on the number of loans per bank.
  • Automatic update of General Ledger at end-of-day.
  • Control of (i) Product dependent loan limits (ii) Opening, approval and disbursement process with supervisor control over loan approval (iii) Disbursement schedule (date and amount) (iv) Product dependent maximum and minimum loan periods.
  • Products definable as single repayment or choice of instalment schemes with the following frequencies: (i) weekly (ii) fortnightly (iii) monthly (iv) bi-monthly (v) quarterly (vi) four-monthly (vii) six-monthly (viii) annually. In addition, a product may be defined to have an operator editable instalment schedule which is flexible in terms of both instalment dates and principal instalment amounts.
  • Rescheduling facility, with or without interest capitalization.
  • Facility to debit miscellaneous charges as an accrual, maintained separately from the principal balance.
  • Option to deduct charges from amount disbursed.
  • Multiple disbursements from the same account allowed (no limit).
  • Disbursements may be made in cash, by cheque, or in kind. Repayments in cash or by cheque.
  • No periodic interest capitalization. Interest capitalization allowed only on an individual account basis for purpose of rescheduling.
  • Repayments credited in order of priority: (i) Charges (ii) Penal interest (iii) Normal interest (iv) Principal. Option of "Specified Repayments" allows operator to override above priority.
  • Up to three user-defined loan classification codes. Each code may be three characters with a break after the first character for purpose of sub-classification.
  • Up to four user-defined disbursement allocation codes per account, reflecting the use of cash or in-kind disbursements.
  • Up to five loan performance classifications, based on user defined age of the oldest overdue instalment.
  • Choice of 360 or 365 days per year as interest divisor.
  • Daily report or instalments falling due that day and listing of all overdue loans.
  • Grace period at the beginning of the loan wiht interest during grace period payable with the first instalment.
  • Facility to generate a mail-merger file with account and customer infromation for the purpose of sending billings or reminder letters to borrowers.
  • Maintains historic information on closed loans and reports by client.

2. Interest and Penalty Interest

  • Interest and penal rates definable by product.
  • Per product, instalments definable as (i) annuity instalments whereby the sum of principal and interest is constant (ii) fixed principal instalments with interest on declining daily balance (iii) fixed principal instalments with flat interest on starting balance.
  • Option for deduction of interest in advance for loans with single repayment, with or without rebate in case of early repayment.

F. General Ledger

1. Features

  • User defined account format and header account format. GL accounts may have numeric or alpha-numeric account codes of maximum nine characters (or 13 characters if separators for numeric format are included).
  • Easy account access through direct account code entry for experienced users or selection from pop-up menu for new users.
  • Fully integrated and automated end-of-day update of GL accounts with customer account transactions from MicroBanker.
  • Standard reports include daily trial balance, daily listing of GL accounts with customer account transactions from MicroBanker.
  • Standard reports include daily trial balance, daily listing of GL transactions and daily listing of GL transactions by GL account.
  • GL can be run as stand-alone programme or, if for transaction purposes, from within MicroBanker.
  • Access to specific routines controlled by user defined teller authority levels.
  • User can specify GL contra accounts for transactions in MB that are not related to customer accounts.

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Hari Srinivas - hsrinivas@gdrc.org
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