Interface, method and computer program product for controlling the transfer of electronic messages

An interface for controlling transfer of electronic transaction messages between a first financial institution and a plurality of switches distributed amongst a plurality of switch sites, wherein the first financial institution and the plurality of switches are connected via a data communications network, the interface comprising:

• communication circuitry, processing circuitry and memory storing an operational status of each switch site;
• wherein the communication circuitry is operable to transmit a test message to one of the switch sites over the data communications network if no transaction message has been received from that switch site for a predetermined time, and in response to the test message, the communication circuitry is operable to receive an echo of the test message from the one of the switch sites;
• wherein the processing circuitry is operable to:
• set the operational status of the one of the switch sides as operational in the memory if the echo is received within a defined time of transmitting the test message;
• set the operational status of the one of the switch sites as not operational if the echo is not received within the defined time;
• whereby when the operational status of the one of the switch sites is set as not operational, the processing circuitry is operable such that no transaction messages are transferred to said switch site;
• and
• when the operational status of the one of the switch sites is set as operational:
• determine whether a format of a transaction message issued by the first financial institution conforms to a predetermined standard;
• and
• add routing information to the transaction message identifying a switch of the one of the switch sites, to thereby enable the transaction message to be directed to said switch;
• wherein the communication circuitry is then operable, in response to the transaction message issued by the first financial institution, to:
• transmit the transaction message over the data communications network for storage in a message queue unit associated with the one of the switch sites for subsequent processing of the transaction message in the predetermined standard by the identified switch of the one of the switch sites, when the format of the transaction message conforms to the predetermined standard;
• return the transaction message to the first financial institution when the format of the transaction message does not conform to the predetermined standard;
• wherein the memory further is operable to store an operational status of a second financial institution connected to the plurality of switches, via the data communications network;
• wherein the communication circuitry further is operable to receive information from one or more of the plurality of switches indicating an updated operational status of the second financial institution;
• wherein the processing circuitry further is operable to update the operational status of the second financial institution, stored in the memory, based on the information received from the one or more of the plurality of switches;
• and
• wherein, when the operational status of the second financial institution indicates that the second financial institution is not operational, the processing circuitry is operable to prevent electronic transaction messages instructing a transaction from the first financial institution to the second financial institution from being transmitted to the switches.