payment-screening

name	payment-screening
description	Screen an outbound payment against limits, sanctions/watchlists, and duplicate checks before a human releases it.

payment-screening

Use this skill when an operator asks you to check, validate, or screen an outbound payment (wire or ACH) before release.

This skill is read-only. It does not release, send, or settle anything. Release requires a human approver — see the release-packet skill.

Inputs

• Queue: an ISO 20022 pain.001 credit-transfer file (data/payment-queue.json). The screener flattens every CdtTrfTxInf transaction and screens it by EndToEndId.
• Sanctions: a bundled, dated OFAC SDN public-data fixture (data/ofac-sdn-fixture.json). It contains three real public SDN records selected for deterministic demonstration; it is not a complete sanctions list. Only the payments are synthetic.

Procedure

1. Screen the payment

Run the screener against a payment ID from the queue (omit --id to screen the whole batch):

/usr/bin/python3 /sandbox/.hermes/skills/payment-screening/scripts/screen_payment.py \
  --queue /sandbox/.hermes/skills/payment-screening/data/payment-queue.json \
  --sanctions /sandbox/.hermes/skills/payment-screening/data/ofac-sdn-fixture.json \
  --id WIRE-1007

The screener returns structured JSON with a decision (CLEARED_FOR_REVIEW or HOLD) and a per-check breakdown. Sanctions hits cite the matched OFAC SDN name and program.

2. Report the result

Use this structure:

• Decision: CLEARED_FOR_REVIEW or HOLD
• Checks: limit · sanctions · duplicate · beneficiary (pass/fail each)
• Exceptions: the exact rule that fired, in plain language
• Next step: what the human checker should verify before releasing
• Caveat: screening is support; the human approver is accountable

3. On HOLD

Never recommend overriding a hold. State the rule, and route to the appropriate human queue (sanctions analyst, treasury, compliance).

Pitfalls

• Do not claim a payment passed if any check failed.
• Do not invent a sanctions match or clear a real one — report what the OFAC SDN fixture returned, with the matched name and program.
• Do not release the payment. You cannot reach the payment rail, and you must not imply that you can.