CA2407277A1

CA2407277A1 - System and method for processing exception items

Info

Publication number: CA2407277A1
Application number: CA002407277A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Stoney D. Lingo; Alan W. Clements
Original assignee: Stoney D. Lingo; Alan W. Clements; Sterling Commerce, Inc.; Vectorsgi, Inc.
Current assignee: Vectorsgi Inc
Priority date: 2000-04-28
Filing date: 2001-04-27
Publication date: 2001-11-08
Also published as: IL152469A0; AU5577401A; AU2001255774C1; EP1277154A1; JP2003532232A; WO2001084436A2; AU2001255774B2; AU2001255774C9

Abstract

Published without an Abstract

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING EXCEPTION ITEMS
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to the processing of financial payment transactions within the financial industry and more particularly to a system and method for processing exception items.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Tnlithin the financial industry, processing exception items is a time-consuming, labor-intensive process. Checks must be processed each day in order to meet statutory requirements regarding providing notification to financial institutions of exception items that will be returned instead of paid.
Conventional systems for processing paper exception items such as checks include sorting the checks to separate out the exception items, sorting the exception items based on the physical location of the decision makers who will decide whether to pay or return the items, providing the exception items to the decision makers for review, sorting the exception items based on the decisions, providing the return exception items to data keyers who will key in the bank-of-first-deposit data, and stripping and encoding the bank-of-first-deposit data on the return exception items.
Thus, the decision makers must typically be in the same physical location as the exception items. For decision makers located in a remote location, the exception items must be transported to the decision makers. This delay may

2 cause the statutory requirements for notification and for returns to be unmet. Because of this, pay or return decisions are often made without the benefit of viewing the physical item when the decision maker is in a remote location, resulting in increased fraud and credit losses and in less than satisfactory levels of customer service.
In addition, the data keyers need the exception items in order to key in the appropriate data. Because of this, the data keyers are required to wait for the decision makers to complete the decision process and forward the exception items to them before they may key in the data. This waiting results in a substantial loss of time that is crucial in meeting the statutory requirements for notification and for returns.
One solution to these problems has been to key in the data for every exception item before the decisions are made.
However, this solution has been inadequate due to the corresponding, substantial increase in labor costs which is the necessary result of this inefficient solution.
Another disadvantage of the conventional exception processing systems includes the number of sorts performed on the checks. With each sort performed, the sorter may jam, which delays the processing of the checks and which may result in the mangling of checks and the incurring of additional costs due to reject processing and other operational costs related to missing items, free items, and the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a system and method for processing exception items are provided that

3 substantially eliminate or reduce disadvantages and problems associated with previously developed systems and methods.
In particular, the exception items are not required to be in the same physical location as the decision makers or the data keyers, and the number of sorts required to process the exception items is reduced.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a method for processing exception items is provided that includes providing an exception file comprising information regarding a plurality of exception items. An image file is provided that comprises an image of each of at least a subset of the exception items. A decision is received for each of at least a subset of the exception items. The decision is based on the information in the exception file and the image in the image file. A decision file is generated based on the decisions.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a method for processing an exception item is provided that includes generating a graphical image of an exception item that is associated with an office of a financial institution. The graphical image is provided to the office of the financial institution. A decision is generated at the office on exception processing of the item based on the graphical image. The.item is exception processed based on the decision.
In yet. another embodiment of the present invention, a method for processing checks for a checking account customer is provided that includes flagging a check of a customer as an exception item. The check is identified as an exception item upon presentment. A graphical image of the check is

4 generated. The image of the check is provided to the customer for approval.
In still another embodiment of the present invention, a method for processing exception items is provided that includes generating an exception file comprising financial information regarding a plurality of exception items. The items are associated with an office of a financial institution. The exception file is provided to the office of the financial institution. A decision,.is generated at the office on exception processing of each item based on the exception file. The items are exception processed based on the decisions.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a method for processing exception items is provided that includes designating a plurality of exception items as return items. Return data is generated for each of the return items. Each of the return items is returned. At a later date, at least one of the return items is received for exception processing. Return information is retrieved from the original return data and applied to the current return item.
Technical advantages of the present invention include providing an improved system for processing exception items.
In particular, the decision process is disassociated from the physical item. Thus, the exception items are not required to be in the same location as the decision makers or the data keyers. As a result, transportation costs are reduced, and decisions may be made by fewer employees in less time. In addition, the data keyers may begin keying data as each decision is made by a decision maker, eliminating the wasted time spent waiting for all the decisions to be made and the wasted time spent sorting the checks that require qualification and distributing those checks to data entry personnel.
Other technical advantages of the present invention

5 include a reduced number of sorts required for processing the exception items. As a result, the potential for sorter jams and mangled checks is reduced. Yet another technical advantage includes the automatic availability of previously entered data for exception items that have been previously presented for payment. This provides useful information to the decision makers that results in better decision-making.
Other technical advantages will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following figures, description, and claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a more complete understanding of the present invention and its advantages, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals represent like parts, in which:
FIGURE 1 is a block diagram illustrating a check processing system for processing exception items in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIGURE 2 is a block diagram illustrating details of the system of FIGURE 1 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
FIGURE 3 is a block diagram illustrating images of an exception item as displayed by the system of FIGURE 1; and

6 PCT/USO1/13832 FIGURE 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for processing exception items in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIGURE 1 is a block diagram illustrating a check processing system 10 for processing exception items in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
According to an exemplary embodiment, the system 10 is used in the processing of paper exception items, such as checks that fail to post due to insufficient funds, stop payment instructions, unidentified accounts, and the like. However, although the system 10 will be described in connection with the processing of paper exception items, it will be understood that the system 10 may be used to process other types of exception items, including wire transfers, Automated Teller Machine (ATM) transactions, Electronic Check Presentment (ECP) transactions, fraud suspect transactions, Automated Clearing House (ACH) transactions, and the like, without departing from the scope of the present invention.
The exception processing system 10 comprises a decision system 12 for making decisions regarding the processing of exception items, a sorter 14 for sorting checks, and a processing system 16 for processing checks. While sorting checks to separate exception items from non-exception items, the sorter 14 generates an exception file 20 and an image file 22. The exception file 20 comprises information regarding the exception items, such as exception type, amount, serial number, and the like. The image file 22 comprises images for the exception items, such as an image

7 of the front of a check and an image of the back of the check.
The exception file 20 and the image file' 22 are provided to the decision system 12, which may be remote from or local to the sorter 14. For example, the files 20 and 22 may be transmitted to the decision system 12, may be remotely accessed by the decision system 12, or may be provided to the decision system 12 by any other suitable means. According to one embodiment, the files 20 and 22 are provided to the decision system 12 over the Internet, allowing the decision system 12 to be located anywhere in the world.
Once the exception file 20 and the image file 22 are received at or are accessible by the decision system 12, decision makers, such as branch officers at a plurality of branches 24, may access the information in the files 20 and 22 in order to make decisions regarding the exception items, such as whether to pay or return the items and whether or not to charge a fee. Thus, while deciding on a particular exception item, the decision maker may retrieve from the exception file 20 account information such as balances, history, previous return information, and other relevant data and may retrieve from the image file 22 an image of the exception item. As a decision is made for each exception item, the decision system 12 modifies a decision file 25 in accordance with the decision.
The files 20 and 22 may also be accessed by personnel in a back office 26 for processing the exception items. For example, in cases for which an exception type cannot be located, an account number is unreadable, or in other suitable situations, the corresponding exception item may

8 need to be processed locally because the sorter 14 could not retrieve information from the item to identify the appropriate branch 24 for processing that item.
After all the decisions have been made and information such as bank-of-first-deposit (BOFD) data has been keyed, the decision file 25 is provided to the processing system 16, which may be remote from or local to the decision system 12. The processing system 16 provides the information in the decision file 25, in addition to information regarding non-exception items such as statement dates for corresponding customers, to the sorter 14 for sorting the checks. The sorter 14 sorts the exception items to be paid based on statement dates and sorts the exception items to be returned based on the bank of first deposit for the exception items.
According to the embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 1, the decision system 12 and the decision file 25 are provided in a server 27, while the processing system 16 and the exception file 20 are provided in a mainframe 28. However, it will be understood that the system 10 may be otherwise implemented without departing from the scope of the present invention.
FIGURE 2 is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of the exception processing system 10 in greater detail. In accordance with this embodiment, the system 10 comprises an electronic file generator 30 for generating an electronic file 32 based on data extracted from a plurality of Checks 34. For example, the electronic file generator 30 may comprise a sorter or other suitable device capable of reading MICR data from the checks 34 and storing the data in an electronic file 32. Additional data may be included in

9 the electronic file 32 by a data input device 38 and/or a demand deposit account (DDA) system 40. The data input device 38 allows data to be input manually into the electronic file 32. This data may include, for example, check amounts or other suitable data. Data from the DDA
system 40 may also be appended to the electronic file 32.
This data may include, for example, account information such as an account holder's name, account balances, account history, and the like.
The electronic file 32 is used by the sorter 14 to sort the checks 34 into non-exception items 42 (checks 34 that have posted) and exception items 44 (checks 34 that have not posted). It will be understood that the exception items 44 may also be sorted by the sorter 14 based on exception type, account number, or other suitable criteria. While sorting the checks 34, the sorter 14 generates the exception file 20 based on the portion of the electronic file 32 corresponding to the exception items 44.
Also while sorting the checks 34, the sorter 14 generates the image file 22 through the use of a digital camera 45 or other suitable device that is coupled to the sorter 14 and that is able to record an image of the front and back of each exception item 44. In an alternative embodiment, a separate image sorter 46 or other suitable device may be used to generate the image file 22 after the exception items 44 have been separated out by the sorter 14.
The images recorded in the image file 22 may comprise black and white images, video images, color images, gray scale images, or any other suitable images.
The processing system 16 generates a default decision file 25 based on the data in the exception file 20. The processing system 16 may or may not include a default decision for each exception item 44 in the decision file 25.
For example, the processing system 16 may include a default decision to return the item 44 and to charge a fee.
5 According to one embodiment, the processing system 16 comprises VECTOR: FiveTM by Sterling Commerce, Inc. It will be understood, however, that the present invention may be implemented using any other suitable processing system 16.
The exception file 20, the image file 22 and the

10 decision file 25 are provided to the decision system 12, which may be remote from or local to the processing system 16. Thus, decision makers such as branch officers may access the exception file 20, the image file 22 and the decision file 25 from a branch office 24 that is remote from the processing system 16 and the exception items 44, allowing decisions to be made regardless of the physical location of the exception items 44 relative to the decision makers. According to one embodiment, the exception processing system 10 comprises a plurality of decision systems 12, each of which receives or has access to the files 20, 22 and 25. For this embodiment, each branch 24 may have access to a separate decision system 12.
The decision system 12 comprises a previous presentment data file 52 which stores relevant return data regarding exception items 44 that were previously presented for payment. Thus, any data that was previously entered for the exception item 44 does not need to be re-entered and, instead, is automatically made available to the decision maker. This return data may comprise BOFD data, notification data, such as maker, payee, large dollar information, and the like, as well as other suitable data..

11 The decision system 12 may also comprise an account file 53 which stores information for a plurality of accounts. The information for a particular account may be accessed by a decision maker while making a decision for a corresponding exception item 44. This information may include, for example, historical information regarding the account, account balances, and the like. Thus, a decision maker is able to make a more informed decision by considering the information included in the account file 53, in addition to the other data provided by the decision system 12.
According to one embodiment, the decision system 12 allows a decision maker to specify a group of exception items 44 and to make a decision for the group. Thus, for example, the decision maker may select all the exception items 44 for a particular customer or account and make one decision that is applied to each of those exception items 44. The exception items 44 may be selected for a group decision based on any one or more of the account number, the customer name, the customer type, the exception type, the exception amount or any other suitable criteria.
As a decision is made for each exception item 44 or each group of exception items 44, the decision file 25 is updated to include the decision. For those exception items 44 designated as return items in the decision file 25 by a decision maker or by a default decision allowed to remain, a return file 54 is also updated to include the exception item 44. Each time the return file 54 is updated with an additional exception item 44, a data keyer 56 may be notified and may aCCess the decision system 12 to key in the BOFD data and/or the notification data for that exception

12 item 44. The data keyers 56 may be at the branch offices 24 or at any other location having access to the decision system 12. Thus, the data keyers 56 may also be remote from the processing system 16 and the exception items 44.
According to one embodiment, the decision system 12 comprises a data entry file 58 that includes information for determining whether or not the exception items 44 require entry of the BOFD and notification data. For example, in situations where an exception item 44 is drawn on the financial institution processing the exception items 44 or is drawn on another financial institution with whom the processing financial institution has an agreement allowing items to be returned without the data being keyed, the data entry file 58 identifies these financial institutions. The decision system 12 may then identify the corresponding exception items 44 such that a data keyer 56 is not notified if the exception item 44 is designated as a return item.
Thus, the number of return items requiring data entry may be substantially reduced.
Therefore, the BOFD data may be keyed in for an exception item 44 immediately after a decision is made to return the exception item 44, as opposed to being keyed in only after the decisions for all the exception items 44 have been made. As used herein, immediately means without being required to wait for other decisions to be made regarding other exception items 44 or for checks to be subsequently sorted anal distributed. This allows the decision makers more time to make the decisions because they are no longer required to complete all the decisions in a time period that provides data keyers 56 enough time to key in all the BOFD
data after all the decisions are completed.

13 In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the decision system 12 also comprises a work flow engine 60 for designating specified exception items 44 as items to be processed by a particular decision maker. Thus, for example, exception items 44 may be routed to a particular decision maker based on the decision maker's skills, experience, authority, and the like, in .conjunction with characteristics of the exception items 44 such as amount, account holder, exception type, and the like.
According to one embodiment, the decision system 12 also comprises a productivity tracking engine 61 for tracking personnel productivity in accordance with performance pay incentives. The productivity tracking engine 61 may provide productivity tracking data to each decision maker in a branch office 24 or the back office 26 and/or to each data keyer 56. This data may be provided in a relative productivity chart, graph, or other suitable display that- informs the employee of his or her productivity relative to the productivity of others, an average productivity, a productivity goal, or other suitable comparison data. For example, each employee may be provided a display showing the number of exception items 44 that have been processed by that employee for the day in relation to a specified goal for a total number of exception items 44 to be processed by that employee by the end of the day. It will be understood that the productivity tracking engine 61 may be otherwise implemented without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the productivity tracking engine 61 may simply provide each employee with productivity data for that employee, without including comparison data.

14 After decisions have been made for each of the exception items 44 or time for alteration of default decisions has expired, the modified decision file 25 including the decisions is provided to the processing system 16. For the embodiment in which the system 10 comprises a plurality of decision systems 12, the processing system 16 is provided modified decision files 25 from each decision system 12. The processing system 16 then sorts the exception items 44 and the non-exception items 42 based on the decision file or files 25 and a sort file 62, which stores information for sorting the non-exception items 42.
According to one embodiment, the system 10 comprises a cash letter sorter 64 for performing this sort.
The cash letter sorter 64 may comprise an encoder 66 for stripping and encoding the return exception items 44 with the BOFD data keyed in by a data keyer 56. In an alternative embodiment, the encoder 66 is separate from the cash letter sorter 64 and the encoding of the BOFD data is completed before the cash letter sort is performed. The cash letter sorter 64 sorts the non-exception items 42 and the exception items 44 into a plurality of groups 70. The number of groups 70 is determined by the number of pockets for the sorter 64. For a number of groups 70 greater than the number of available pockets, more than one sort is performed. According to one embodiment, the non-exception items 42 and the exception items 44 that are to be paid are sorted based on statement dates for the corresponding account holders, while the exception items 44 to be returned are sorted based on the BOFD data.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the cash letter sorter 64 also generates an electronic cash letter, which may or may not include check images, while performing the sort. The electronic cash letter may be electronically transmitted to the appropriate financial institutions more efficiently than traditional 5 cash letters, which may be provided to the financial institutions as usual at a later time.
The processing system 16 may also receive additional data regarding non-paper exception items, such as wire transfers, ATM transactions, ECP transactions, fraud suspect 10 transactions, ACH transactions, and the like. This data may be included by the processing system 16 in the exception file 20, along with corresponding default decisions in the decision file 25. Thus, in making decisions for these items, decision makers may access similar data as that

15 available for the paper exception items, with the exception of images of the items.
FIGURE 3 is a block diagram illustrating a display 100 of images 102, 104 and 106 of an exception item 44 as displayed by the system 10. The display comprises an image 102 of the front of the check, a horizontal image 104 of the back of the check, and a vertical image 106 of the back of the check. Thus, the decision maker is able to see all the information that would be provided by the physical check.
This allows, for example, the signature and the financial institution to be verified. In addition, the information on the back of the check is presented both horizontally and vertically in order to facilitate reading the information which may appear at any angle on the check. It will be understood that any combination of the images 102, 104 and/or 106 may be provided together without departing from the scope of the present invention.

16 According to one embodiment of the present invention, a customer of a financial institution may request that every check or specified checks written on the customer's account be flagged as exception items. In this embodiment, the check or checks are identified as exception items upon presentment. The image of the check is then provided to the customer for approval. This may be accomplished by any form of electronic transmission, such as by electronic mail, by facsimile, or by any other suitable means, or by allowing the customer to access the check image remotely.
FIGURE 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for processing exception items in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The method begins at step 200 where the electronic file generator 30 generates the electronic file 32 based on data contained in the checks 34.
In step 202, additional data, such as check amounts, is manually input into the electronic file 32 by the data input device 38. In step 204, the DDA system 40 appends DDA data to the electronic file 32.
In step 206, the exception items 44 are separated from the non-exception items 42 by the sorter 14 based on the electronic file 32. In step 208, the sorter 14 generates the exception file 20 based on data for the exception items 44 in the electronic file 32. In step 210, either the sorter 14 or the image sorter 46 generates the image file 22 by capturing an image of the front and back of each exception item 44.
In step 212, the processing system 16 generates a default decision file 25 which. includes default decisions for each of the exception items 44. In step 214, the

17 exception file 20, the image file 22 and the decision file 25 are provided to the decision system 12.
In step 216, decision makers access the exception file 20 and the image file 22 in order to make decisions regarding the exception items 44. In step 218, a decision is made for each exception item 44 regarding whether to charge or waive the fee and regarding whether to pay or return the exception item 44. As used herein, each means every one of at least a subset of the identified items. In step 220, the decision file 25 is modified to indicate whether the fee will be charged or waived if the default decision was changed.
In decisional step 222, a determination is made as to whether the exception item 44 was designated pay or return by the decision maker. If the exception item 44 was designated as return, the method follows the Return branch from decisional step 222 to step 224 where the decision file is modified to indicate that the exception item 44 is to be returned if the default decision was that the exception 20 item 44 was to be paid. In step 225, the return file 54 is modified to include the exception item 44. In step 226, the decision maker may key in the BOFD data for the return exception item 44 or, alternatively, the exception item 44 may be automatically queued for a data keyer 56 other than 25 the decision maker to key in the BOFD data. In step 228, the decision file 25 is modified to include the BOFD data.
In decisional step 230, the decision system 12 determines whether there are other exception items 44 to process. If other exception items 44 require processing, the method follows the Yes branch from decisional step 230 and returns to step 216 where a decision maker accesses the

18 exception file 20 and the image 22 in order to make a decision for the next exception item 44. However, if no exception items 44 remain to be processed either because decisions have been made for each or because the time allowed for altering.the default decisions has expired, the method follows the No branch from decisional step 230 to step 234 where the decision system 12 provides the modified decision file 25 to the processing system 16.
In step 236, the encoder 66 encodes the BOFD data on the return exception items 44. In step 238, the processing system 16 creates cash letters. In step 240, the cash letter sorter 64 performs a cash letter sort based on the modified decision file 25 and the sort file 62, at which point the method comes to an end.
Returning to decisional step 222, if the exception item 44 was designated as pay, the method follows the Pay branch from decisional step 222 to step 242 where the decision file is modified to .indicate that the exception item 44 is to be paid if the default decision was that the exception item 20 44 was to be returned. The method then continues to decisional step 230 where the decision system 12 determines whether there are other exception items 44 that require processing, as described above.
Although the present invention has been described with 25 several embodiments, various changes and modifications may be suggested to one skilled in the art. It is intended that the present invention encompass such Changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A method for processing exception items, comprising:
providing an exception file comprising information regarding a plurality of exception items;
providing an image file comprising an image of each of at least a subset of the exception items;
receiving a decision for each of at least a subset of the exception items, the decision based on the information in the exception file and the image in the image file; and generating a decision file based on the decisions.

2. The method of Claim 1, generating a decision file based on the decisions comprising modifying a default decision file.

3. The method of Claim 2, the default decision file comprising default decisions provided by a processing system, and further comprising:
transmitting the default decision file from the processing system to a decision system;
receiving the decisions at the decision system;
and transmitting the modified decision file from the decision system to the processing system.

4. The method of Claim 2, the default decision file comprising default decisions provided by a processing system, and further comprising accessing the default decision file from a remote decision system.

5. The method of Claim 1, generating a decision file based on the decisions comprising generating the decision file with a decision system, and further comprising generating the exception file with a sorter, the sorter remote from the decision system.

6. The method of Claim 1, further comprising queuing an exception item for entry of return data immediately after receiving a decision to return the exception item, the return data comprising bank-of-first-deposit data.

7. The method of Claim 6, the return data further comprising notification data.

8. The method of Claim 6, further comprising modifying the exception file to include previous presentment data for each exception item for which a previous decision comprised a return decision, the previous presentment data comprising the return data.

9. The method of Claim 1, the decision file comprising bank-of-first-deposit data, and further comprising sorting the exception items based on the bank-of-first-deposit data.

10. The method of Claim 1, the image comprising an image of the back of the exception item, and further comprising simultaneously displaying the image horizontally and vertically.

11. A system for processing exception items, comprising:
a computer-readable medium; and software stored on the computer-readable medium, the software operable to provide an exception file comprising information regarding a plurality of exception items, to provide an image file comprising an image of each of at least a subset of the exception items, to receive a decision for each of at least a subset of the exception items based on the information in the exception file and the image in the image file, and to generate a decision file based on the decisions.

12. The system of Claim 11, the software further operable to generate the decision file based on the decisions by modifying a default decision file.

13. The system of Claim 12, the default decision file comprising default decisions provided by a processing system, and the software further operable to transmit the default decision file from the processing system to a decision system, to receive the decisions at the decision system, and to transmit the modified decision file from the decision system to the processing system.

14. The system of Claim 11, the software further operable to queue an exception item for entry of return data immediately after receiving a decision to return the exception item, the return data comprising bank-of-first-deposit data.

15. The system of Claim 14, the return data further comprising notification data.

16 The system of Claim 14, the software further operable to modify the exception file to include previous presentment data for each exception item for which a previous decision comprised a return decision, the previous presentment data comprising the return data.

17. The system of Claim 11, the decision file comprising bank-of-first-deposit data, and the software further operable to sort the exception items based on the bank-of-first-deposit data.

18. The system of Claim 11, the image comprising an image of the back of the exception item, the software further operable to simultaneously display the image horizontally and vertically.

19. A system for processing exception items, comprising:
an exception file comprising information regarding a plurality of exception items;
an image file comprising an image of each of at least a subset of the exception items; and a decision system operable to receive the exception file and the image file, to provide a decision maker access to the exception file and the image file, and to generate a decision file based on one or more decisions made by the decision maker, each decision relating to a corresponding exception item.

20. The system of Claim 19, the decision system further operable to queue an exception item for entry of return data immediately after receiving a decision to return the exception item, the return data comprising bank-of-first-deposit data.

21. The system of Claim 20, the decision system further operable to modify the exception file to include previous presentment data for each exception item for which a previous decision comprised a return decision, the previous presentment data comprising the return data.

22. The system of Claim 19, further comprising a sorter operable to generate the exception file and the image file, the decision system remote from the sorter.

23. The system of Claim 19, further comprising a sorter operable to generate the exception file and the image file, the decision system local to the sorter.

24. The system of Claim 19, further comprising an image sorter operable to generate the image file.

25. The system of Claim 19, the decision file comprising bank-of-first-deposit data, and further comprising a cash letter sorter operable to sort the exception items based on the bank-of-first-deposit data.

26. The system of Claim 19, further comprising a work flow engine operable to assign exception items to a specified decision maker for processing based on characteristics of the specified decision maker.

27. The system of Claim 19, further comprising a work flow engine operable to assign exception items to a specified decision maker for processing based on characteristics of the exception items.

28. The system of Claim 19, further comprising a productivity tracking engine operable to provide productivity information to each of a plurality of employees, the productivity information comprising productivity data for the employee.

29. The system of Claim 28, the productivity information further comprising productivity data for the employee relative to a productivity goal.

30. The system of Claim 19, the image comprising an image of the back of the exception item, the decision system further operable to simultaneously display the image horizontally and vertically.

31. A method for processing an exception item, comprising:
generating a graphical image of an exception item, the item associated with an office of a financial institution;
providing the graphical image to the office of the financial institution;
generating a decision at the office on exception processing of the item based on the graphical image; and exception processing the item based on the decision.

32. The method of Claim 31, the item comprising a check.

33. The method of Claim 32, the image comprising at least one side of the check.

34. The method of Claim 32, the image comprising both a front and a back of the check.

35. The method of Claim 34, further comprising simultaneously displaying the image of the back of the check horizontally and vertically.

36. The method of Claim 31, further comprising:
providing financial data for the item; and generating the decision based on the financial data.

37. The method of Claim 36, the financial data comprising an account summary for an account associated with the item, and further comprising displaying the account summary.

38. The method of Claim 31, the item associated with a customer, and further comprising providing the image to the customer for approval.

39. The method of Claim 31, the exception processing comprising electronically returning the item.

40. The method of Claim 31, further comprising routing the image of the item to a decision maker for the decision based on predefined criteria.

41. The method of Claim 40, the criteria comprising a dollar amount for the item.

42. The method of Claim 40, the criteria comprising a customer associated with the item.

43. The method of Claim 40, the criteria comprising an account type for an account associated with the item.

44. The method of Claim 31, the image comprising a gray scale image.

45. The method of Claim 31, further comprising providing customer contact information to the office.

46. A method for processing an exception item, comprising:
generating a graphical image for each of a plurality of exception items, each item associated with an office of a financial institution;
providing the graphical images to the office of the financial institution;
generating a decision at the office on exception processing of each item based on the graphical image for the item; and exception processing the items based on the decisions.

47. The method of Claim 46, further comprising:
generating a single decision at the office on exception processing of multiple items; and exception processing the multiple items based on the single decision.

48. The method of Claim 47, further comprising selecting the multiple items based on at least one of the following characteristics for the items: account number, customer name, customer type, exception type, and exception amount.

49. The method of Claim 46, further comprising queuing an item for entry of return data immediately after generating a decision to return the item, the return data comprising bank-of-first-deposit data.

50. The method of Claim 49, the return data further comprising notification data.

51. A method for processing checks for a checking account customer, comprising:
flagging a check of a customer as an exception item;
identifying the check as an exception item upon presentment;
generating a graphical image of the check; and providing the image of the check to the customer for approval.

52. The method of Claim 51, providing the image of the check to the customer for approval comprising electronically transmitting the image of the check to the customer.

53. The method of Claim 51, providing the image of the check to the customer for approval comprising providing the customer remote access to the image of the check.

54. A system for processing checks for a checking account customer, comprising:
a computer-readable medium; and software stored on the computer-readable medium, the software operable to flag a check of a customer as an exception item, identify the check as an exception item upon presentment, generate a graphical image of the check, and provide the image of the check to the customer for approval.

55. The system of Claim 54, the software further operable to electronically transmit the image of the check to the customer.

56. The system of Claim 54, the software further operable to provide the customer remote access to the image of the check.

57. A method for processing exception items, comprising:
generating an exception file comprising financial information regarding a plurality of exception items, the items associated with an office of a financial institution;
providing the exception file to the office of the financial institution;
generating a decision at the office on exception processing of each item based on the exception file; and exception processing the items based on the decisions.

58. The method of Claim 57, further comprising:
generating a single decision at the office on exception processing of multiple items; and exception processing the multiple items based on the single decision.

59. The method of Claim 58, further comprising selecting the multiple items based on at least one of the following characteristics for the items: account number, customer name, customer type, exception type, and exception amount.

60. The method of Claim 57, further comprising:
generating an account file comprising account information regarding a plurality of accounts, each of at least a subset of the items corresponding to a specified account;
providing the account file to the office; and generating the decision at the office on exception processing of each item corresponding to a specified account based on the account file.

61. The method of Claim 60, the account information comprising historical information for the account.

62. The method of Claim 60, the account information comprising a balance for the account.

63. The method of Claim 57, further comprising generating an electronic cash letter based on the decisions.

64. The method of Claim 63, further comprising electronically transmitting the electronic cash letter to a specified financial institution.

65. The method of Claim 63, the electronic cash letter comprising electronic images of at least a subset of the exception items.

66. The method of Claim 57, further comprising providing productivity information to each of a plurality of employees, the productivity information comprising productivity data for the employee.

67. The method of Claim 66, the productivity information further comprising productivity data for the employee relative to a productivity goal.

63. The method of Claim 57, further comprising:
generating a data entry file comprising data entry information regarding a plurality of financial institutions;
designating a plurality of the items as return items;
identifying a subset of the return items which require entry of return data based on the financial information in the exception file and the data entry information in the data entry file; and queuing the identified subset of return items for entry of return data.

69. The method of Claim 68, the data entry information identifying a plurality of financial institutions to which a return item is returnable without the entry of return data.

70. The method of Claim 68, the return data comprising bank-of-first-deposit data.

71. The method of Claim 68, the return data comprising notification data.

72. The method of Claim 57, the exception item comprising a check.

73. The method of Claim 57, the exception item comprising a wire transfer.

74. The method of Claim 57, the exception item comprising an Automated Clearing House transaction.

75. The method of Claim 57, the exception item comprising a fraud suspect transaction.

76. The method of Claim 57, the exception item comprising an Automated Teller Machine transaction.

77. The method of Claim 57, the exception item comprising an Electronic Check Presentment transaction.

78. A method for processing exception items, comprising:
designating a plurality of exception items as return items;
generating return data for each of the return items;
returning each of the return items;
receiving at least one of the return items for processing subsequent to returning the return item; and generating a decision for the return item based on the return data for the return item.

79. The method of Claim 78, the return data comprising bank-of-first-deposit data.

80. The method of Claim 78, the return data comprising notification data.