--- title: Investigation requests slug: tutorials/cos-explorer/wires/investigation-requests docTags: createdAt: 2025-07-25T14:40:23.683Z --- :::CtaButton{label="COS Explorer overview" docId="tmGNa7cLKpnBTh7gSkEFA" openInNewTab="true"} ::: ## What you will learn ✅ How to answer an investigation request received from another financial institution, and how to choose the right outcome so the requesting institution knows where their enquiry stands. :::hint{type="info"} Learn about [Wires](docId\:hFNmQa22W2BNqAJijpAVT). ::: ## Before you begin Make sure you have: - [COS Explorer](docId\:JwSEUG3ELF_gXLhy6T9KI) - You need COS Explorer access with rights to respond to investigations. - You should also be familiar with how the original wire was processed, since most investigations are questions about a payment we have already handled. ## What an investigation request is Another institution sends an investigation request when they need something from us about a wire: - confirmation that funds were credited, - an explanation of a delay - a correction to details - or an answer to a compliance enquiry It is a question, not an instruction - no funds movement is involved. Your job is to answer it, and to be explicit about whether the matter is now settled. :::hint{type="info"} An investigation is not the way to ask for money back. If the requesting institution wants funds returned, they need to send a return request, and you should say so in your response rather than treating it as an investigation you can resolve. ::: ## Process overview An investigation request arrives and appears as an inbound payment record. You open it, review what is being asked, and respond from the payment tasks panel. Your response goes back to the requesting institution and is linked to the original request so the exchange stays together in the payment history. If you cannot answer immediately, you can respond more than once: acknowledge first, answer later. ## To respond to an Investigation Request :::::WorkflowBlock :::WorkflowBlockItem Open the investigation request from the payments list. It appears as an inbound record; the message content shows what the other institution is asking. ::: :::WorkflowBlockItem Read the request against the original wire before you start writing. Most investigations need a specific fact — an IMAD, a posting date, a return date — and finding it first saves a second exchange. ::: :::WorkflowBlockItem In the payment tasks panel, select the option to respond to the investigation. ::: ::::WorkflowBlockItem Choose a **Status**. This is the outcome of the investigation from our side, and it is the part the requesting institution acts on: :::Paragraph{listStyleType="disc" indent="2"} **Closed** — the matter is resolved and your response contains the answer. Use this for a completed funds confirmation, a full explanation of a delay, or a definitive "we cannot make that amendment." ::: :::Paragraph{listStyleType="disc" indent="2"} **Pending** — you have received the request and are working on it, but do not have the answer yet. Use this when you need to check with another team, wait on a customer, or escalate. Respond again with Closed once you have the answer. ::: :::Paragraph{listStyleType="disc" indent="2"} **Rejected** — you are not going to action the request. Use this when the request cannot be answered as sent, for example when the original transaction was never received by us, or when the enquiry should have come through a different message type ::: :::: :::WorkflowBlockItem Choose a **Reason Code**. A reason code is required when the status is Pending or Rejected, and optional when the status is Closed. Choose the code that most closely matches your actual reason; the codes are what the other institution's system reads, and the narrative is what their operator reads. ::: :::WorkflowBlockItem Write the **Narrative**. This is a single free text field. A narrative is required when the status is Closed, and whenever the reason code is Narrative. The field shows a live character count as you type. Be specific and be brief. State the fact that answers the question rather than restating the question. For a funds confirmation, give the IMAD and the posting or return date. For a delay, say what the delay was and when it is expected to clear. Avoid internal shorthand and reference numbers that mean nothing outside CRB. The reader is an operator at another bank who has only what you send them. ::: :::WorkflowBlockItem **Submit**. An outbound investigation response is generated, linked to the original request, and routed back to the requesting institution. Both messages appear together in the payment history. ::: ::::: ## Responding more than once You can respond to the same investigation as many times as you need to. The intended pattern is Pending first, then Closed: - Respond with **Pending** and a reason code such as In Progress or Awaiting Reply From Customer, so the requesting institution knows the request landed and is being worked. - When you have the answer, respond again with **Closed** and the narrative that resolves it. Leaving an investigation unanswered while you work on it is the most common cause of a duplicate request arriving a day later. ## Best practices Match your answer to what was actually asked. - An investigation asking whether funds were credited needs an IMAD and a date - An investigation asking why a wire was delayed needs a reason and a timeline Answering the wrong question generates another round. :::hint{type="warning"} If the requesting institution actually wants funds **returned**, say that a return request is required and point them to it, rather than closing the investigation as though the matter is settled. ::: If a return has already been processed, say so and reference the earlier response, so the requester can reconcile against what they already received. If an amendment is requested that cannot be made to a wire that has already settled, say plainly that it cannot be changed and what the requester's options are. Purely informational messages that need no action from us do not always need a response. Where a response is expected, **Closed **with a short narrative is enough.