Reporting Form ARF 396.0
Points of Presence
Instruction Guide
This form collects information about the type and locality of service delivery channels, or “points of presence” for authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs), within Australia. This form requires full disclosure of face-to-face services and electronic service points (excluding Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale (EFTPOS)/Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Banking (EFTPOB)).
ADIs need to segment their service channels into types of outlet. A description of the minimum services available to customers at each outlet must be provided. The form does not mandate the way that institutions segment their service outlets.
General directions and notes
Reporting entity
This form is to be completed by all locally incorporated banks, Foreign ADIs and Special Service Providers (SSPs) on a Domestic books basis.
This form should be completed by Credit Unions, Cairns Penny Savings & Loans Limited, Building Societies and Specialist Credit Card Institutions (SCCIs) on a licensed ADI basis. SCCIs that operate as branches in Australia are required to complete this form for the Australian branch only.
Securitisation deconsolidation principle
Except where stated otherwise on this form, reporting entities must treat any securitisation program special purpose vehicles (SPVs) in which the ADI (or a member of its consolidated group) participates in accordance with APRA’s clean sale and separation requirements as non-consolidated independent third parties. As a result, for reporting purposes all assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses of these SPVs must be excluded from the ADI’s reported amounts. Where relevant, report on this form any exposure to or other transaction between the ADI and any such SPV as if such transaction was conducted with an independent third party, regardless of whether the SPV or its assets is consolidated for accounting purposes.
APRA's clean sale and separation requirements are set out in APS 120 Funds Management and Securitisation and related Guidance Notes AGN 120.3 Purchase and Supply of Assets (including Securities Issued by SPVs) (AGN 120.3) and AGN 120.1 Disclosure and Separation. Whenever the clean sale and separation requirements are not met, all the assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses of the SPV are to be consolidated with the ADI’s reported amounts.
Licensed ADI
This refers to the operations of the reporting ADI on a stand-alone basis.
Reporting period
The form is to be completed for the period ending 30 June each financial year. Locally incorporated banks, Foreign ADIs, SSPs, Credit Unions, Cairns Penny Savings & Loans Limited, Building Societies and SCCIs are required to submit the completed return within 20 business days of the reporting period.
Specific instructions
Section A: Service channel type
- Service channel type
To specify the service channel type, ADIs should provide the name of each service channel type using their own accepted internal naming conventions. Some examples of the types of service channels your institution could report include: Branch, Agency, Automated Teller Machines (ATM), EFTPOS, Head Office, Mobile Lenders. A separate form should be completed for each type of service or distribution outlet.
- Description of service channel
A textual description of the service channel should be included within the text box and should be as complete as possible.
For face-to-face services, the description should address each of the following areas:
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Does the Point of Presence (POP) provide cash/cheque deposit and cash withdrawal services for personal and small business customers?
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Does the POP provide cash/cheque deposit and cash withdrawal services for personal customers only?
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Does the POP provide direct access to other financial services?
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Are non - financial services provided by the POP?
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Is the POP located in the ADIs premises?
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Do other businesses operate out of the same premises?
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Do ADI employees staff the POP?
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Do any of the POPs in this class of service outlet provide access to financial services on a part time basis?
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If the answer to (8) is YES – then the basis on which the services are made available should be described (e.g: “Branches indicated as “Part Time” are staffed at least 7.5 hours each week”)
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Meets minimum branch requirements
ADIs will need to declare whether or not the service channel type meets the definition of a ‘branch’ as described below. If it does the box for “Meets minimum branch requirements” question should be marked with Y.
To be considered a branch, the following minimum face-to-face services must all be provided.
A branch:
- accepts cash and other deposits (including business deposits) and provides change;
- facilitates the keeping of accounts for customer access, including the provision of account balances;
- opens and closes accounts;
- can facilitate or arrange the assessment of the credit risk of existing and potential customers; and
- offers additional services in the one establishment such as financial services, business banking and specialist lending, if these are generally available from the ADI.
The last dot point above need not mean that a financial adviser or business credit manager be available in the branch - the staff of the branch may simply act as a referral point for customers interested in these kinds of services.
- Service channels that do not meet the minimum branch requirements
If a service channel does not meet the minimum branch requirements, you are required to select which of the following categories it falls into: “Other face-to-face”, “Electronic” or “Other”.
“Other face-to-face” includes service channels that provide face-to-face services but do not meet the minimum branch requirements, such as, Agencies, Mobile Lenders, Head Offices etc.
Service channels falling into the “Electronic” category may include ATMs, EFTPOS & RediPOS etc.
The “Other” category may include service channels such as Merchant/Investment Bank Offices, Internet/Telephone Banking.
Uniformity and reporting electronic service channels
ADIs are required to report information about their Automatic Teller Machines and Cash Dispensers (CDs). The reporting of other forms of electronic service channels, while encouraged, is not mandatory.
Please report these services using the three generally accepted classes of electronic service points:
ATMs and CDs
Terminal allowing an authorised cardholder to withdraw cash from either a cheque/savings or credit account. Where the terminal is an ATM, it will also provide access to a varying range of other services such as balance inquiry, transfer of funds and acceptance of deposits. Authorisation is via a Personal Identification Number (PIN). Access is unassisted and may be 24 hours/day, depending on the terminal’s location.
The reporting of ATMs within the Points of Presence form should be done in the following manner:
- the ADI that has ownership of the ATM and is responsible for the switching of transactions are to report this terminal on the form.
- do not report ATMs that are supplied by other institutions even though your institution has access to the third party owned ATM.
EFTPOS terminal
Terminal located at a retail outlet which enables an authorised cardholder to purchase goods and services using either deposit or credit funds and may also enable cash withdrawals using deposit funds. Authorisation is via a PIN for deposit funds and a verified signature for credit funds. Access is with the assistance of the retailer and is therefore restricted to the operating hours of the retail outlet.
All ADIs must report their own terminals.
For non-ADI owned terminals. The party or ADI which is responsible for key management of the terminal is responsible for recording the terminal on this form. Provision of key management involves securing the transaction message at the point of capture. This would also include switching the transaction. For example, a third party who owns the terminal and has an ADI ‘driving’ the transactions, the ADI is to report these terminals (a non-ADI third party that owns the terminal and ‘drives’ the transactions will report to the Reserve Bank).
EFTPOB terminal
Terminal located at a retail outlet which enables an authorised cardholder to withdraw cash from a cheque/savings or credit account and also provides access to a varying range of other services such as balance inquiry, transfer of funds and acceptance of deposits. Authorisation is via a PIN. Access is with the assistance of the retailer and is therefore restricted to the operating hours of the retail outlet. GiroPost terminals are not to be included in this category – please report them separately.
All ADIs report their own terminals.
For non-ADI owned terminals. The party or ADI which is responsible for key management of the terminal is responsible for recording the terminal on this form. Provision of key management involves securing the transaction message at the point of capture. This would also include switching the transaction. For example, a third party who owns the terminal and has an ADI ‘driving’ the transactions, the ADI is to report these terminals (a non-ADI third party that owns the terminal and ‘drives’ the transactions will report to the Reserve Bank of Australia).
Credit authorised transfer (CAT)/CAT with merchant data CAPture (CAT/CAP)
Terminal located at a retail outlet which enables an authorised cardholder to purchase goods and services using credit funds. Authorisation is via a signature. The CAT/CAP terminal does not require a paper voucher because CAP functionality allows for electronic capture and transfer of the transaction details. Access is with the assistance of the retailer and is therefore restricted to the operating hours of the retail outlet.
Giropost
In an endeavor to ensure consistent reporting of Giropost outlets, APRA will obtain this information directly from Australia Post for outlets that perform personal banking.
In the case where the ADI offers services to business customers, in addition to personal, via a Giropost outlet, this will need to be reported as a separate service channel. A description of the services provided in addition to locality needs to be listed within the table.
- Over the counter cash transactions
Two further boxes have been added to the form in order to facilitate the presentation of information upon release to the general public. The boxes relate to ‘Provides over the counter cash transactions’. If such services are provided, then the reporting institution must indicate whether these services are available to business customers and/or personal customers.
Section B: Location of service channel
Locality disclosure
For each class of service, report (1) the town or suburb where the service is physically located, (2) the postcode and (3) state/territory location. In column (4) report the total number of instances of the provision of that service in that location. Please ensure that the spelling of localities is accurate. If unsure of the spelling of a locality, please visit www.ga.gov.au where a search can be done on all localities within Australia. It should be noted that this segmentation is mandatory for all physical delivery channels other than EFTPOS/EFTPOB.
Part time indicator
Next to the total number of service points in each locality, column (5), please indicate the number of these service points that operate on a part time basis. Where a part time indicator is utilised, please describe the times of normal operation during which these service points operate within the “Description of service channel” box that is used to describe the services available at the particular service channel. ADIs may, if they prefer, provide a separate disclosure of their part time service points. In this situation, the number of service points disclosed by locality would always match the number of part time service points.