Engineering_Log/Apr 26, 2023

camt.029 Explained: Resolution of Investigation and Recall Responses

iso20022sepa

The camt.029 message ('RsltnOfInvstgtn' — Resolution of Investigation) is an ISO 20022 interbank message sent by an instructed financial institution (such as a beneficiary bank) to report the outcome, status, or conclusion of an investigation to the instructing institution.

A common simplification in payments engineering is describing camt.029 exclusively as a "negative response to a recall." While camt.029 is indeed used in schemes like SEPA Credit Transfer (SCT) to inform an originator bank that a payment recall has been denied, the base ISO 20022 definition is far broader. camt.029 is a multi-purpose investigation resolution message that resolves payment cancellations, payment modifications, claims for non-receipt, and account statement queries.

ISO 20022 Base Standard vs Scheme Implementations

Under the ISO 20022 standard, camt.029 provides structured resolution blocks for various operational exceptions:

  • Cancellation Details (<CxlDtls>): Resolves a camt.056 Payment Cancellation Request. In the general standard, transaction status (<TxCxlSts>) is not limited to rejection (RJCR); it can also communicate pending investigation (PDCR) or accepted cancellation (ACCR) in workflows where cancellation does not require an independent funds return message.
  • Modification Details (<ModDtls>): Resolves an interbank payment modification request (camt.087 RequestToModifyPayment). Note that camt.055 is a customer-to-bank cancellation request (CustomerPaymentCancellationRequest), whereas modification resolution between banks specifically relates to camt.087.
  • Claim Non-Receipt Details (<ClmNonRctDtls>): Responds to inquiries where a creditor claims funds were never received (camt.027).
  • Statement Details (<StmtDtls>): Provides resolution entries for statement or balance investigations.

Concrete Scheme Example: EPC SEPA Credit Transfer (SCT)

In the European Payments Council (EPC) SEPA Credit Transfer scheme, exception handling is organized into formal datasets defined in the SEPA Credit Transfer Scheme Inter-PSP Implementation Guidelines (EPC115-06):

  • Dataset DS-06 (Response to a Recall of a SEPA Credit Transfer): Covers the response to a bank-initiated Recall (DS-05). It includes both positive and negative response paths:
    • Positive Response: Executed via pacs.004 (Payment Return) carrying return reason code FOCR (Following Cancellation Request), which transfers the funds back.
    • Negative Response: Executed via camt.029 (camt.029.001.09), communicating why the recall was rejected without moving funds.
  • Dataset DS-08 (Response to the Request for Recall by the Originator - RFRO): Covers the response to a customer-initiated RFRO (DS-07). Like DS-06, it encompasses both outcomes:
    • Positive Response: Executed via pacs.004 (FOCR).
    • Negative Response: Executed via camt.029 (camt.029.001.09).

Neither DS-06 nor DS-08 is defined solely as a negative response dataset; both encompass the entire response framework, where pacs.004 represents the positive path and camt.029 represents the negative path.

                      +-------------------+
                      |  camt.056 Request |
                      | (Originator Bank) |
                      +-------------------+
                                |
               +----------------+----------------+
               |                                 |
         Recall Accepted                  Recall Rejected
         (DS-06 / DS-08)                  (DS-06 / DS-08)
               |                                 |
               v                                 v
      +-----------------+               +-----------------+
      |    pacs.004     |               |    camt.029     |
      | (Payment Return)|               | (Resolution of  |
      |   Reason: FOCR  |               |  Investigation) |
      +-----------------+               +-----------------+
      [Funds Transferred]               [No Funds Moved]

Common SEPA Negative Recall Reason Codes:

  • CUST (Customer Refusal): The beneficiary refused to authorize debiting their account.
  • AC04 (Closed Account Number): The beneficiary account has been closed.
  • LEGL (Legal Reasons): Regulatory, compliance, or court-mandated blocks prevent funds release.
  • NOOR (No Original Transaction Received): The beneficiary bank has no record of the referenced credit transfer.
  • NOAS (No Answer From Customer): The beneficiary did not respond to the bank's contact attempts within the 15 Banking Business Days window.
  • AM04 (Insufficient Funds): Account balance is insufficient to cover the recall amount.

Key Structural Elements (ISO 20022 camt.029.001.09)

In the SEPA Credit Transfer Inter-PSP Implementation Guidelines (EPC115-06), the applicable message version for interbank investigation resolution is camt.029.001.09. The root element <RsltnOfInvstgtn> contains:

1. Case Assignment (<Assgnmt>)

Identifies the resolution routing:

  • <Id>: Unique assignment reference generated by the resolving bank.
  • <Assgnr>: The responding bank (Beneficiary Bank) identifying itself via <FinInstnId><BICFI>.
  • <Assgne>: The inquiring bank (Originator Bank) receiving the resolution.
  • <CreDtTm>: Creation timestamp.

2. Status (<Sts>)

A mandatory high-level investigation status indicator:

  • <Conf>: Carries an external confirmation code (e.g., RJCR for Rejected Cancellation Request).

3. Cancellation Details (<CxlDtls>)

When resolving an SCT Recall or RFRO, the <TxInfAndSts> repeating block under <CxlDtls> contains:

  • <CxlStsId>: Unique cancellation status identifier.
  • <OrgnlGrpInf>: Links back to the original message identifiers (<OrgnlMsgId>, <OrgnlMsgNmId>pacs.008.001.08</OrgnlMsgNmId>).
  • <OrgnlEndToEndId>: Original end-to-end identifier from the customer instruction.
  • <OrgnlTxId>: Original transaction reference.
  • <OrgnlUETR>: The Unique End-to-End Transaction Reference (UUIDv4) of the original payment.
  • <TxCxlSts>: Individual transaction cancellation status (RJCR — Rejected Cancellation).
  • <CxlStsRsnInf>: Contains the rejection reason code (<Rsn><Cd>CUST</Cd></Rsn>).
  • <OrgnlTxRef>: Optional snapshot of the original payment instruction (debtor, creditor, amounts, and accounts) to facilitate reconciliation.

XML Example (camt.029.001.09)

Below is a synthetic camt.029.001.09 XML document rejecting an SCT recall request due to customer refusal (CUST), structured in accordance with EPC115-06 Inter-PSP Implementation Guidelines.

Illustrative XML example using the stated message version. Not independently XSD-validated; verify against the applicable schema and EPC implementation guidelines before use.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Document xmlns="urn:iso:std:iso:20022:tech:xsd:camt.029.001.09">
    <RsltnOfInvstgtn>
        <Assgnmt>
            <Id>ASSIGN-2026-0923-001</Id>
            <Assgnr>
                <Agt>
                    <FinInstnId>
                        <BICFI>BNPAFRPPXXX</BICFI>
                    </FinInstnId>
                </Agt>
            </Assgnr>
            <Assgne>
                <Agt>
                    <FinInstnId>
                        <BICFI>DBEUMM21XXX</BICFI>
                    </FinInstnId>
                </Agt>
            </Assgne>
            <CreDtTm>2026-09-23T11:00:00Z</CreDtTm>
        </Assgnmt>
        <Sts>
            <Conf>RJCR</Conf>
        </Sts>
        <CxlDtls>
            <TxInfAndSts>
                <CxlStsId>CXLSTS-2026-0001</CxlStsId>
                <OrgnlGrpInf>
                    <OrgnlMsgId>MSG-20260920-0042</OrgnlMsgId>
                    <OrgnlMsgNmId>pacs.008.001.08</OrgnlMsgNmId>
                </OrgnlGrpInf>
                <OrgnlEndToEndId>E2E-2026-987654</OrgnlEndToEndId>
                <OrgnlTxId>TX-2026-0001</OrgnlTxId>
                <OrgnlUETR>93ce3143-6050-4ff6-8c46-95b6c86e0c03</OrgnlUETR>
                <TxCxlSts>RJCR</TxCxlSts>
                <CxlStsRsnInf>
                    <Rsn>
                        <Cd>CUST</Cd>
                    </Rsn>
                </CxlStsRsnInf>
            </TxInfAndSts>
        </CxlDtls>
    </RsltnOfInvstgtn>
</Document>

To format and inspect XML payloads for indentation and syntax structure during integration, you can use our browser-based XML Formatter Toolkit.

Schema Validation vs Scheme Business Rules

When building exception processing systems:

  • XSD Schema Validation: Enforces element existence and sequence. Notice that <Sts> is a mandatory choice in camt.029.001.09; omitting <Sts> or placing <CxlDtls> before <Sts> causes immediate schema failure.
  • Scheme Business Validation: Confirms operational rules:
    1. Does the <OrgnlUETR> match an active, settled payment that received a matching camt.056?
    2. Was the camt.029 dispatched within the 15 Banking Business Days response SLA?
    3. Is the rejection reason code permitted under Dataset DS-06 or DS-08 of the SCT Rulebook?

Authoritative References