# Sources

> Every document behind this BIC and IBAN guide with its reading date, plus what is still unsettled, such as bank directories and location code rules.

- Page: https://swiftcodelookup.com/sources/
- Read on: 2026-10-30

## Documents first read October 21–22, 2026

- [SWIFT, BIC policy, dated January 20, 2023](https://www2.swift.com/knowledgecentre/rest/v1/publications/bic_policy/3.0/bic_policy.pdf): structure, allowed characters, branch identifiers, connected and non-connected BICs.
- [ACER, Question 2.1.2 Data Field (2)](https://www.acer.europa.eu/question-212-data-field-2): lengths of 8 and 11 characters and the XXX rule in ACER's reporting guidance.
- [Swift, Information paper: ISO 9362 BIC implementation, changes and impact](https://www.swift.com/swift-resource/9586/download) and [Swift, The BIC: frequently asked questions](https://www.swift.com/swift-resource/252025/download).
- [European Payments Council, IBAN and BIC](https://www.europeanpaymentscouncil.eu/index.cfm/sepa-credit-transfer/iban-and-bic/).
- [Swift, International Bank Account Number (IBAN)](https://www.swift.com/standards/data-standards/iban-international-bank-account-number).
- [European Commission, New EU rules make instant euro payments faster and safer (October 10, 2025)](https://finance.ec.europa.eu/news/new-eu-rules-make-instant-euro-payments-faster-and-safer-2025-10-10_en).
- [US FTC, What To Know Before You Wire Money](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-you-wire-money).

## Known limits
1. **Eighth character.** Swift's information paper says 0 in position 8 marks a test and training address, and its policy gives 1 as the example of a non-connected BIC. Other values carry no meaning we can source.
2. **No directory.** We do not provide a lookup of bank codes. Swift's free BIC search does not allow systematic copying. The US bank codes we show were each read on the bank's own page; Citi, TD Bank and Truist are left out because their pages publish no incoming code.
3. **Country codes.** The checker accepts ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes, plus XK, which the IBAN registry uses for Kosovo. If ISO adds or withdraws a code, the list changes with it.
4. **Policy version.** The Swift policy document we read is dated January 20, 2023. A newer one may exist.
5. **National check digits.** The IBAN checker knows the length, pattern and bank-code position for all 89 countries in the Swift IBAN Registry, but it does not test the national check digits inside the account number.
6. **Non-euro SEPA.** We rely on the EPC's summary of the IBAN-only rule, not the full text of Regulation 260/2012. Whether a bank in a non-EU SEPA country asks for a BIC is up to that bank.
7. **No specialist review.** No payments professional has reviewed these pages.

If a bank notice or a Swift document settles one of these points, send it to the address on the [Behind the BIC checker](https://swiftcodelookup.com/behind-the-bic-checker/) page.

## Further reading, October 30, 2026

- [Swift, ISO 13616 IBAN Registry (TXT)](https://www.swift.com/swift-resource/11971/download): length, BBAN pattern, bank identifier position and SEPA flag for 89 countries; every registry example IBAN passes our checker.
- [European Payments Council, EPC409-09 List of SEPA scheme countries, v8.0 of December 24, 2025](https://www.europeanpaymentscouncil.eu/document-library/other/epc-list-sepa-scheme-countries): 30 EU/EEA countries, 11 others, territories, and the admission dates for Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Moldova and Serbia.
- [EPC, IBAN and BIC](https://www.europeanpaymentscouncil.eu/index.cfm/sepa-credit-transfer/iban-and-bic/), reread: the IBAN-only dates (February 1, 2014 national, February 1, 2016 cross-border). Our earlier wording about third-party databases was not on that page and has been removed.
- [Swift, ISO 9362 information paper](https://www.swift.com/swift-resource/9586/download), reread for the test and training rule (0 in position 8).
- [Chase, How the SWIFT banking system works](https://www.chase.com/personal/banking/education/basics/how-the-swift-banking-system-works), for correspondent banks.
- All the US bank pages listed below were read again; codes, routing numbers and fees were unchanged. The one correction: Bank of America's page now simply says to select the receiving account in the app or Online Banking to see its number.

## Further reading, October 26, 2026

- [EUR-Lex, Regulation (EU) 2024/886 on instant credit transfers in euro](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32024R0886), Article 5c inserted into Regulation (EU) No 260/2012: match, close match and no match results, the payer's right to authorize anyway, liability and the October 9, 2025 / July 9, 2027 dates. It replaces our earlier reading of the Commission's press page on this point.

- Bank pages read for the US codes: [Chase wire FAQ](https://www.chase.com/digital/wire-transfer/faqs), [Chase, SWIFT code vs routing number](https://www.chase.com/personal/banking/education/basics/swift-code-vs-routing-number), [Bank of America wires](https://info.bankofamerica.com/en/digital-banking/wire-transfers), [Wells Fargo routing](https://www.wellsfargo.com/help/routing-number/) and [wire FAQ](https://www.wellsfargo.com/help/online-banking/wires-faqs/), [PNC wire transfers](https://www.pnc.com/en/personal-banking/banking/services/wire-transfers.html), [USAA incoming international wire sheet](https://content.usaa.com/mcontent/static_assets/Media/bk-wires-receive-international-wire-deposit-account.pdf), [BMO U.S. account guide](https://www.bmo.com/en-us/pdf/Essentials_Account_Guide.pdf), [U.S. Bank](https://www.usbank.com/customer-service/knowledge-base/KB0069429.html), [Capital One](https://www.capitalone.com/help-center/checking-savings/send-receive-wire-transfer/), [Navy Federal](https://www.navyfederal.org/services/transfers/wire-transfers.html).
- [Swift, free BIC search terms](https://www.swift.com/about-us/legal/online-services/free-bic-search-swiftcom).

## Further reading, October 24, 2026

- The batch checker uses the BIC format from SWIFT's policy and the IBAN modulo 97 test (ISO 13616, general knowledge of the standard, as on the IBAN page). The red-flag weights are our own.

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SWIFT Code Guide. Errors or changed codes: contact@swiftcodelookup.com