Bank code
A Bank Code is a code assigned by a central bank, a Bank Supervisory Body or a Bankers Association in a country to all its licensed member banks. The rules vary to a great extent between the countries. Also the name of such a code varies. In some countries the bank codes can be viewed over the internet, but mostly in the local language.
Those countries which use International Bank Account Numbers (IBAN) have mostly integrated the bank code into the prefix of specifying IBAN account numbers.
The term "Bank Code" is sometimes (inappropriately) used by merchants to refer to the Card Security Code printed on a credit card.
Europe
- Germany uses 8-digit routing codes. The first 4 digits identify the banking company and the latter 4 digits are assigned to the branch. In the 4-digit bank identifier:
- the first digit corresponds to one of 8 clearing regions of Germany,
- the first 3 digits (clearing region identifier and the next 2 digits after it) identify a "banking location" (Bankplatz),
- the last digit (4th in the whole routing code) denotes a banking company's classification (Bankengruppe).
- For bank classification values and identifiers for German clearing regions, see Bankleitzahl (in German).
- For a comprehensive list of Germany's "banking location" identifiers, see Bankplätze (in German).
- Austria uses 5-digit bank codes (called Bankleitzahl as in Germany).
- In Switzerland, a bank code (Bankenclearing-Nummer) contains 3 to 5 digits identifying the banking company; the first digit denotes the bank's classification group. Following after the bank code, a 4-digit number contains the branch code identifier. For a list of Swiss bank codes, see BC-Nummer (in German).
- In France, the first 5 digits contain the clearing identifier of the banking company (Code Banque), followed by the 5-digit branch code (Code Guichet). Both numbers are only used as a combined prefix for the nationwide full account number.
- In Italy, a similar clearing system is used with 5 digits identifying the banking company (Codice ABI), followed by a 5-digit CAB (Codice di Avviamento Bancario) identifying the branch, followed by the account number.
- In Spain again a similar format is used, with the first 4 digits identifying the banking company, the next 4 identifying the branch, the next 2 being the checksum, followed by the 10-digit account number.
- Denmark uses 4-digit bank codes (called Registreringsnummer, or Reg. nr.).
North America
The American Bankers Association has since 1910 used 9-digit routing transit numbers to identify banks in the United States of America, which are used in the automated processing of cheques. The bank company is identified in the 5th to 8th digits (the 4 digits before the last checksum digit). The company number assigned to a bank includes a regional prefix indicating the metropolitan area and/or state.
Canada uses an 8-digit code (with a hyphen after the fifth digit) called a bank transit number. The first 5 digits identify the branch; the last 3 digits identify the financial institution.
Asia-Pacific
- Australia has a 6-digit prefix to a bank account number which indicates the bank and branch of the account. The prefix is known as the Bank State Branch or BSB code. The BSB format is XXX-XXX.
- The New Zealand bank account prefix is similar, containing 2 digits indicating the bank and 4 digits indicating the branch. The overall number of account digits (routing + account number) is nearly equal for Australia and New Zealand.
- In Iraq, a bank code contains 1 to 3 digits identifying the bank branch.
- Since 2010, South Korea uses 7-digit code starting 0 or 2. First three digits, called bank code, is required for interbank wire transfer. Last four digits are branch code, which is rarely used.
See also
External links