You can now upload files containing payment references with invalid BACS characters without receiving validation errors, streamlining your file upload process and eliminating the need for manual character removal.

• Automatic Character Conversion: The system now automatically converts invalid BACS characters (apostrophes, accented letters, special symbols) to blank spaces following BACS Standard 18 specifications. Blank spaces at the beginning and end of references are trimmed and length validation, where required, is completed after this.

• Seamless File Processing: Files upload successfully without validation errors, even when payment references contain characters that don't comply with BACS requirements.

• Consistent Format Handling: Character conversion applies consistently across all supported file formats including BACS Standard 18, BACS Standard 18 Payment Lines, SmartDebit Direct CSV, and BACS Active EaziPay formats.

• No Manual Intervention Required: Eliminates the time-consuming process of manually identifying and removing invalid characters from files before upload.

When you upload a file containing payment references with invalid BACS characters, the system automatically processes and converts these characters to spaces during validation. The converted characters are saved in the database and displayed consistently across all UI screens, file content reviews, and exports. When files are exported in BACS Standard 18 format, the already-converted payment references export correctly without requiring additional processing.

This enhancement aligns with the existing destination account name character handling, ensuring consistent behaviour across all payment data fields within DDCMS Direct.

The update will be applied to everyone on our SaaS platform on 12/02/2026.