We want it back, they say no: a refused SCT Inst recall
Trigger: The debtor claims an already-completed instant payment was a mistake, and the beneficiary will not agree to give the money back.
What operations sees first: A camt.029 negative answer lands against Bank Alfa's earlier camt.056; the investigation case cannot be closed as recovered.
WHERE IS THE MONEY?
In the beneficiary's account at Nordbank, where it stays; the debtor was debited and remains debited.
DID SETTLEMENT HAPPEN?
Settled and final. A recall never reverses settlement by itself — only a consented return would have moved value back.
WHO ACTS NEXT?
The debtor — recovery now sits outside the scheme, with Bank Alfa able to assist but not compel Bank Alfa gives the debtor what the scheme can offer — the refusal and its reason code — and the debtor pursues the beneficiary directly or through legal channels.
PLAY THE EXCEPTION
Trigger: Days later the debtor claims the instant payment was sent in error. Instant payments are irrevocable, so getting money back needs the recall procedure — and here it is refused.
The debtor initiates an instant payment
Debtor (payer) → Bank Alfa (debtor agent)
The customer pays from an app or channel. From this moment the scheme's clock is running — the whole journey must finish within the scheme's time limit.
Step 1 of 14: The debtor initiates an instant payment
- 02ProcessingBank Alfa validates in real timeBank Alfa (debtor agent)
- 03PostingThe debtor's funds are reservedBank Alfa (debtor agent)
- 06ProcessingNordbank decides — nowNordbank (creditor agent)
- 08SettlementSettlement happens immediately from prefunded positionsBank Alfa (debtor agent) → Nordbank (creditor agent)
- 09PostingThe creditor is credited within secondsNordbank (creditor agent)
- 12 · EXCEPTION PATHProcessingThe beneficiary does not consentNordbank (creditor agent)
- OUTCOME
- Funds
- Remains with the beneficiary — the scheme cannot force it back.
- Settlement
- The original instant settlement stands; nothing was reversed.
- Who acts next
- Nordbank (creditor agent) — The debtor pursues the claim outside the scheme (directly or legally); the banks document the refusal.
Full step-by-step text (works without JavaScript)
- 02ProcessingBank Alfa validates in real timeBank Alfa (debtor agent)
Format checks, balance check, and sanctions screening all happen in seconds. Anything slow here burns the scheme's time budget.
Screening checkpoint: Real-time transaction screening — Instant rails force screening to be fast and highly automated — there is no batch window to hide latency in.
- 03PostingThe debtor's funds are reservedBank Alfa (debtor agent)
Bank Alfa earmarks the amount. The final debit is confirmed only when the beneficiary bank accepts — instant payments are all-or-nothing.
- RESERVE Debtor's current account at Bank Alfa — EUR 480.00
- 06ProcessingNordbank decides — nowNordbank (creditor agent)
The creditor agent validates the account and screens the payment, then must answer positively or negatively within the scheme's window.
- 08SettlementSettlement happens immediately from prefunded positionsBank Alfa (debtor agent) → Nordbank (creditor agent)
The CSM moves the amount between the banks' prefunded positions in central bank money the moment the positive answer arrives. There is no waiting for a cycle.
- DR Bank Alfa prefunded position — EUR 480.00
- CR Nordbank prefunded position — EUR 480.00
- 09PostingThe creditor is credited within secondsNordbank (creditor agent)
The beneficiary can use the money immediately. Bank Alfa converts the reservation into a final debit at the same moment.
- CR Creditor's current account at Nordbank — EUR 480.00
- 12 · EXCEPTION PATHProcessingThe beneficiary does not consentNordbank (creditor agent)
The beneficiary disputes the claim (or the funds are gone). Where consent or funds are missing, the recall fails.
- OUTCOME
- Funds
- Remains with the beneficiary — the scheme cannot force it back.
- Settlement
- The original instant settlement stands; nothing was reversed.
- Who acts next
- Nordbank (creditor agent) — The debtor pursues the claim outside the scheme (directly or legally); the banks document the refusal.
THE TIMELINE
- 01DebtorReports that a completed instant payment was sent in error — the amount keyed was wrong.
- 02Bank AlfaRequests a recall through the CSM, referencing the original pacs.008 with reason code AM09 (wrong amount).camt.056
- 03Instant CSMRoutes the recall request to the creditor agent.camt.056
- 04NordbankContacts its customer — consent is generally needed, because the money already belongs to the beneficiary.
The beneficiary disputes the claim and refuses to return the funds.
- 05NordbankAnswers negatively with reason code CUST — the customer does not agree to the return.camt.029
- 06Bank AlfaRecords the refusal and tells the debtor that the scheme route is exhausted.
Resolution: The recall fails cleanly: a camt.029 with a reason code is a final scheme-level answer, not an error. Recovery now moves outside the scheme — direct contact between the parties, and ultimately a legal claim if the amounts justify it.
Sources for this scenario2
- Scheme-specific rule2025 version 1.1 (EPC004-16)
2025 SEPA Instant Credit Transfer rulebook ↗ — European Payments Council · recall section
Version 1.1 replaced version 1.0 at publication on 5 October 2025 and is stated to remain in effect up to 21 November 2027. The EPC states it is compliant with Regulation (EU) 2024/886, the Instant Payments Regulation.
- Simplified educational illustration
Payments Signal editorial teaching models — Payments Signal
What this simplifies: Single-CSM model; institution-specific handling varies.
Used wherever diagrams, scenarios, figures, or example values are didactic constructions rather than sourced facts; every such use carries a simplifications disclosure. All people, companies, banks, and list entries in examples are fictional.