CIRCULAR LETTER No. 002692

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Sets dates for the expansion of electronic collection and electronic cheque processing, amends cheque return deadlines in centralized locations, and provides other measures.

Having regard to the provisions of art. 2 of Circular No. 2,398 of 29 December 1993, art. 3 of the Regulation annexed to the aforementioned Circular, and Circular No. 772 of 8 April 1983, we communicate that:

I - as of 25 October 1996, all clearing slips for collection booklets, prepared according to model CADOC 24044-4, accepted by the banking network in locations not integrated into the Regional Integrated Clearing Systems (SIRC), may be processed via electronic clearing, by teletransmission of the data to São Paulo (SP) and Rio de Janeiro (RJ), provided that those whose data are included in the logical files shall remain in the possession of the sending banks, in the capacity of faithful depositaries, for a period of 60 (sixty) days counted from the date of acceptance, microfilming being permitted, after which they may be destroyed;

II - observing the dates indicated below, cheques with a value above the limit value defined for the specific exchange sessions, accepted by the banking network in the Regional Integrated Clearing Systems (SIRC) listed below, must be processed via electronic clearing, by teletransmission of the data to São Paulo (SP) and Rio de Janeiro (RJ):

a) 25 October 1996 - Campinas (SP), Campos dos Goytacazes (RJ), Guaratinguetá (SP), Itararé (SP) and Vitória (ES);

b) 1 November 1996 - Alegrete (RS), Governador Valadares (MG), Juiz de Fora (MG), Montes Claros (MG), Passo Fundo (RS), Patos de Minas (MG), Pelotas (RS), Ponte Nova (MG), Santa Maria (RS), Santo Ângelo (RS), Teófilo Otoni (MG), Uberlândia (MG) and Varginha (MG);

c) 8 November 1996 - Araçatuba (SP), Bauru (SP), Campo Grande (MS), Cascavel (PR), Dourados (MS), Maringá (PR), Presidente Prudente (SP), São José do Rio Preto (SP) and Umuarama (PR);

d) 14 November 1996 - Campina Grande (PB), Chapecó (SC), Criciúma (SC), Curitibanos (SC), Florianópolis (SC), Fortaleza (CE), Garanhuns (PE), Guarapuava (PR), João Pessoa (PB), Joinville (SC), Juazeiro do Norte (CE), Maceió (AL), Mossoró (RN), Natal (RN), Pato Branco (PR), Patos (PB), Salgueiro (PE), Sobral (CE) and União da Vitória (PR);

e) 29 November 1996 - Aracaju (SE), Araguaína (TO), Bacabal (MA), Barra do Garças (MT), Barreiras (BA), Belém (PA), Cáceres (MT), Cacoal (RO), Cuiabá (MT), Goiânia (GO), Guanambi (BA), Imperatriz (MA), Irecê (BA), Itabuna (BA), Jacobina (BA), Jataí (GO), Juazeiro (BA), Manaus (AM), Palmas (TO), Paulo Afonso (BA), Picos (PI), Porangatu (GO), Porto Velho (RO), Rondonópolis (MT), São Luís (MA), Teixeira de Freitas (BA), Teresina (PI) and Vitória da Conquista (BA);

III - with respect to clearable documents:

a) returns of documents made irregularly may be challenged by participants until the night return session of the following business day;

b) challenges made improperly must be regularized by returning the documents until the night return session of the following business day;

c) participants have one additional business day of deadline for return when the documents are drawn on a centralized location where a holiday is expected to occur, provided they are accepted and exchanged on the preceding business day or on the day of the event itself, with the expression "feriado municipal" (municipal holiday) being stamped thereon;

d) the return reason "30 - theft or robbery of bags" is hereby instituted, intended to support the return of cheques subject to theft or robbery of bags;

e) cheques returned under reason "28 - countermand (or revocation) or stop payment (or opposition) caused by theft or robbery", when re-presented at the Cheque and Other Instruments Clearing Service (SCCOP), must be returned under reason "49 - null remittance";

IV - in determining the blocking and return deadlines for cheques cleared by the National Clearing System, made on the basis of the table annexed to Circular No. 2,315 of 26 May 1993, the linkages to the Regional Integrated Clearing Systems (SIRC) must be observed, provided that, for these purposes, locations integrated into the SIRC of another state shall consider as their capital the one to which they are linked.

2. The operator of the SCCOP is tasked with disseminating the procedures and routines necessary for compliance with the provisions of this Circular Letter.

3. This Circular Letter enters into force on the date of its publication.

Brasília, 18 October 1996.

DEPARTMENT OF BANKING OPERATIONS

José Antônio Marciano
Head, acting