To prepare for check truncation and image exchange enabled by The Check 21 Act, financial institutions must be capable not only of converting checks to images but also of managing the resulting images and data across the enterprise. Check 21 facilitates the capture, validation, and processing of check images at an array of points of presentment including branches, ATMs, merchant locations, and distribution to multiple endpoints including internal and external archives, other banks, image replacement document (IRD) creation, and image exchange networks. A key imperative is the tight integration of image workflows with an archival system that allows efficient image storage and retrieval of both images and data associated with transactions.

"Our customers are working aggressively to prepare for the post-Check 21 environment," said Joseph Tinnerello, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Mobius. "They have implemented our ViewDirect TCM archive as the foundation for taking full advantage of check truncation. Our partnership with Alogent and ViewDirect TCM integration with Sierra Xchange will give them additional leverage in making the transition from paper to electronic processing."

Alogent's Sierra Xchange is the payments gateway and integration technology to Mobius's total content management solution and image archive. Sierra Xchange collects, examines, corrects, balances, and distributes paper, data, and image transactions from all points of origination, to ensure transaction integrity, reduce cost, improve quality, and maximize efficiency and profit. It is a virtual check processing engine that provides image workflows from the moment a check enters the processing stream, to its distribution to endpoints based on cost, profit, and float criteria.

Mobius's highly scalable ViewDirect TCM repository serves as the foundation for enabling software that meets a broad range of content-intensive e-business and application requirements. Capabilities include content integration; Web site, document and digital asset management, workflow and imaging, e-presentment and payment, enterprise report distribution, check image archiving and more.

In the context of Check 21, the ViewDirect TCM repository is used for storage and retrieval of check images and data. These images can be used to print IRDs and other forms of inter-bank exchange. Beyond its role in check truncation, the ViewDirect TCM archive provides high-speed, multi-index access to checks and other business documents for customer service, customer self-service, duplicate detection, fraud prevention, trend analysis and more. ViewDirect TCM integrates check images with information from other sources-statements, signature cards, reports, correspondence and more-to provide a 360-degree view of the customer.

"There is significant synergy in a partnership between these two companies," stated Robert Coyan, director of business development at Alogent. "Alogent brings point of presentment and image workflow expertise, while Mobius brings best in class archiving and content management capability and experience. The marriage offers a unique solution that offers significant value to customers who are addressing an end-to-end payment processing challenge."

According to Paul Abbott, director of check image solutions at Mobius, "Check 21 responds to the critical need for greater efficiency in U.S. payments systems. Image archive technology is at the heart of this new process. It is this technology that will allow banks to take advantage of check truncation and to realize the benefits. Software such as Alogent's Sierra Xchange, in conjunction with the ViewDirect TCM archive, can go a long way to address these issues and provide a solution for straight through processing."