PAYMENT PROBLEMS · 7 FAILURE FAMILIES · 85 PAGES
A missing payment is not one problem. It is seven, and each one needs different evidence.
Asking a bank where your money is will not move it. Naming the failure mode and producing the right reference will. Start from what you actually know.
TRIAGE CONSOLE
WHAT IS THE LAST THING YOU ACTUALLY KNOW
FAILURE FAMILY · DELAY OR UNKNOWN STATUS
This is a visibility failure, not a lost payment. The money is often still on the rail. What is missing is a status anyone will commit to in writing.
TRACEABLE · ILLUSTRATIVE
EVIDENCE THAT ACTUALLY LOCATES IT
UETRSENDING REFERENCEVALUE DATE
Raise a structured trace on the UETR rather than a status enquiry. A trace obliges each institution in the chain to report; a status enquiry does not.
International wire transfer delayedSWIFT payment stuck in transitSupplier says international payment not received
OPEN ALL PAGES IN THIS FAMILY →The seven families.
F1 · 14 PAGESDelay or unknown statusSTATUS IS THE MISSING FACTThe payment has left one side but nobody will state whether it is moving, held, rejected or sitting on the receiving side.
Supplier says international payment not receivedInternational wire transfer delayedBusiness wire transfer missingSWIFT payment stuck in transitInternational payment not credited to beneficiaryPayment left my bank but supplier has not received itFunds not showing in beneficiary accountOverseas supplier says bank cannot find paymentInternational bank transfer pending for more than 5 daysSWIFT transfer stuck at intermediary bankPayment stuck at beneficiary bankPayment accepted but not creditedSWIFT GPI accepted settlement in progressPayment completed but beneficiary says not received
F2 · 15 PAGESProof, trace and payment messagesCONFIRMATION IS NOT PROOFYour supplier, bank or finance team needs proof that can locate a payment, not a screen that says it was sent.
How to get MT103 from bankMT103 proof of payment for supplierSupplier asking for MT103MT103 shows payment sent but funds not receivedWhat is UETR in SWIFT paymentHow to trace a SWIFT payment with UETRBank asking for UETR numberPayment trace request for international wireSWIFT GPI tracking status meaningPACS.008 proof of paymentMT103 vs PACS.008Field 121 UETR in MT103SWIFT payment investigation requestSender bank reference vs UETRPayment confirmation not proof of receipt
F3 · 16 PAGESDocument holdTHE HOLD IS ANSWERABLEThe bank is waiting on an invoice, a purpose of payment, a sender letter or a trade explanation before it releases funds.
International payment delayed by compliance reviewBeneficiary bank asking for invoice before releasing fundsBank asking for purpose of paymentBank asking for source of funds for international paymentBank asking for contract before crediting wireBank asking for supplier invoice for wire transferInward remittance held for compliance documentsReceiving bank asking for business relationship proofBank asking why payment amount was sentPayment held due to missing remittance informationBank asking for sender declarationBank asking for sender letterCompliance hold on international wire transferOFAC or sanctions screening delay on USD paymentBeneficiary bank review of incoming fundsPayment held for purpose code
F4 · 10 PAGESBeneficiary side holdA FIELD DOES NOT MATCHThe payment reached the receiving side but cannot be matched, released or repaired against the beneficiary account.
Wrong beneficiary name on international wireBeneficiary name mismatch wire transferIncorrect IBAN international paymentWrong SWIFT/BIC code payment sentPayment sent to wrong beneficiary accountInternational wire amendment requestBank needs beneficiary details to release paymentGPI status beneficiary details neededPayment rejected due to account name mismatchSupplier bank says beneficiary details are incorrect
F5 · 10 PAGESShort paid or deductedSOMEONE TOOK A FEE IN THE CHAINYour supplier received less than the invoice amount, or the landed amount does not match what your team expected.
International wire arrived shortSupplier received less than invoice amountIntermediary bank deducted fees from wireOUR payment still arrived shortSHA charges caused short paymentBEN charges deducted from principalCorrespondent bank fees on supplier paymentReceiving bank deducted incoming wire feeFX conversion reduced received amountPayment arrived short due to intermediary bank
F6 · 10 PAGESRecall or recoverySPEED DECIDES THE OUTCOMEYou need to stop, recover or recall a payment that was sent incorrectly, duplicated, rejected or returned.
Recall international wire transferCan I recall a SWIFT paymentPayment sent to wrong account recallSWIFT payment recall processInternational wire return requestPayment rejected by beneficiary bankReturned international wire feesDuplicate international payment recallFraudulent wire recall internationalStop and recall SWIFT GPI payment
F7 · 10 PAGESSupplier or reconciliation pressureIT IS COMMERCIAL NOWA supplier is holding goods, your team cannot reconcile, or the reference is not enough to keep operations moving.
Supplier threatening shipment because payment not receivedSupplier will not release goods until payment clearsCustoms or shipment delayed because supplier says unpaidProof of payment not accepted by supplierBank and supplier blaming each other for missing wireFinance team cannot reconcile incoming international paymentInvoice reference missing from international wirePayment reference not passed to beneficiaryWho can trace an international business paymentHow to prove supplier was paid internationally
Unicorn Currencies does not control SWIFT, correspondent banks, beneficiary banks, or partner banks, and cannot guarantee recall, recovery, release, or bank action. Settlement follows the receiving rail's operating schedule.
WHY IT KEEPS HAPPENING
Most of these families only exist because of the correspondent leg.
Remove the chain and four of the seven stop occurring. The rest get an owner instead of a queue.
Local rail settlement removes the correspondent leg, so there is no intermediary to deduct from.REMOVES F5
Your reference travels to the beneficiary statement, so receipts arrive matchable.REMOVES F7
Trade documents are filed with compliance before the instruction leaves.REDUCES F3
A named specialist owns the trace, the amendment and the recall until it closes.OWNS F1 F4 F6
Stop chasing payments you cannot see.
Membership covers Local Business Accounts, published FX margins and a desk that owns traces, amendments and recalls until they close. Applications open to businesses moving $1M or more a year.