2025 Session Last amended: 1990 session

§ 336.4A-206 — Transmission of Payment Order Through Funds-transfer or Other Communication System

Plain-Language Summary

When a payment order is sent to a bank through a funds-transfer system or other third-party communication system, that system is treated as the sender's agent for transmitting the order. If what the sender gave the system differs from what the system passed on to the bank, the terms the system actually transmitted to the bank are treated as the sender's order. This rule does not apply to the funds-transfer system of the Federal Reserve Banks, and it applies the same way to cancellations and amendments of payment orders.

Practical Notes
If you route a wire through an outside transfer or messaging system and that system garbles the order before it reaches the bank, the law generally treats the version the system delivered as your order, because the system acts as your agent. This does not cover transfers run through the Federal Reserve Banks’ own system, and the same rule applies to cancellations and amendments.