Frequently Asked Questions
What is the purpose of the Financial Institution Data Match (FIDM)?What legislation established the FIDM program?
Who decided how FIDM should work?
Should the financial institutions that exchange data be concerned about privacy issues?
How is a financial account defined?
What information is returned through FIDM?
How often will financial institutions be required to submit match information?
What data specifications are to be used for the transfer of data?
How can I obtain additional information?
How is the Office of Child Support Services going to decide which accounts to seize?
Will the Office of Child Support Services be taking complete balances from all accounts?
What about co-owners, how will they be protected?
How does Method One, the All Accounts Method, work?
How does Method Two, the Matched Accounts Method, work?
Can a financial institution be held liable for the release of account information relating to the Rhode Island FIDM program and the levies that may result?
Answers
What is the purpose of the Financial Institution Data Match (FIDM)?
The purpose of FIDM is to bring monetary aid to children by identifying accounts belonging to delinquent obligors. Once identified, these accounts may be subject to wage garnishment, liens, and levies issued by state or local child support enforcement agencies.
What legislation established the FIDM program?
Public Law 104-193, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), also known as the Welfare Reform Act, contains the provisions for the Financial Institution Data Match (FIDM). Also, Public Law 105-200, the Child Support Performance and Incentive Act of 1998, modified PRWORA to better facilitate the data match for multi-state financial institutions. All States and Territories have laws in place to meet the FIDM requirements of PRWORA. Reference the Rhode Island Statutes page for additional legislation regarding RI FIDM.
Who decided how FIDM should work?
The Financial Institution Work Group, comprised of representatives from financial institutions and their associations, third-party processors, software providers, and Federal and State child support representatives, serves as an advisory group to the Federal Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) for this purpose. The Work Group members provide advice on agreements, fees, operations, and outreach efforts. In addition, they develop uniform data specifications which will or are being used by all States, Territories, and Financial Institutions to conduct the data match.
Should the financial institutions that exchange data be concerned about privacy issues?
Child support programs have very tight confidentiality restraints and this is no exception. It is clear that data match information must be used only to locate assets and enforce child support orders. Further, the state has designed a system that is not intrusive and is highly confidential. Under PRWORA, a financial institution will not be liable under any Federal or State law to any person for certain disclosures of data match pursuant to the act. Reference 42 U.S.C. Section 666(a)(17)(C).
How is a financial account defined?
An account is defined as: a demand deposit account, checking or negotiable withdrawal order account, savings account, time deposit account, money market mutual fund account or individual retirement account.
What information is returned through FIDM?
Name of account holder, record address, social security number or other taxpayer identification number, and other identifying information. Refer to the Financial Institution Specifications Handbook for the detailed record layout.
How often will financial institutions be required to submit match information?
Institutions must submit information quarterly. Institutions select the week of each calendar quarter to transmit or perform the data match and transmit.
What data specifications are to be used for the transfer of data?
Rhode Island has adopted a record layout of information that is based on the Financial Institution Data Match Specifications Handbook. The handbook can be found at https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ocse/msfidm_specifications_handbook.pdf.
How can I obtain additional information?
If you have questions regarding agreement processing, technical support,
scheduling, or status verification, please call the Rhode Island Financial
Institution Data Match customer support center
toll-free at 888-240-7488 between
8:00am and 5:00pm Central Time.
- Federal Office of Child Support Services Website for Financial Institution Data Match: https://acf.gov/css/training-technical-assistance/financial-institution-data-match-overview
How is the Office of Child Support Services going to decide which accounts to seize?
The Office of Child Support Services will look at the specific circumstances in each case in determining whether or not to seize an account.
Will the Office of Child Support Services be taking complete balances from all accounts?
Decisions regarding how much of an account to seize will depend on the amount owed and the type of account. Any account of less than five hundred dollars ($500) will not be seized.
What about co-owners, how will they be protected?
How does Method One, the All Accounts Method, work?
- Financial institutions submit a file identifying all open accounts to the Office of Child Support Services.
- The Office of Child Support Services conducts an internal match against delinquent obligors.
How does Method Two, the Matched Accounts Method, work?
- The Office of Child Support Services provides an inquiry file, containing delinquent obligors, to the financial institution.
- The financial institution conducts an internal match against its open accounts.
- The financial institution sends a file to the Office of Child Support Services that reports information on all accounts maintained by individuals on the inquiry file.
Can a financial institution be held liable for the release of account information relating to the Missouri Financial Institution Data Match program and the levies that may result?
No. Section 466(a)(17)(C) [42 U.S.C. 666(a)(17)(C)] of the Social Security Act established that a financial institution shall not be liable under federal or state law to any person for any disclosure of information to the State IV-D agency.
The Financial Institution shall be deemed to have acted in good faith in the performance of its duties under a signed Rhode Island FIDM Agreement unless the Department can demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence of the Financial Institution's intentional and/or willful acts or omissions in the performance hereof.