20

I'm looking an open data source of American Banking Association Route Numbers for US banks. The ABA number is the routing number that is found on a US bank check.

enter image description here

philshem
  • 17,647
  • 7
  • 68
  • 170
Tim Child
  • 501
  • 1
  • 3
  • 5

4 Answers4

8

The source for this data is going to be accuity, that takes care of the routing numbers for the ABA, http://www.aba.com/Products/Pages/PS98_Routing.aspx

To fast forward, it looks like you can download a version from the federal reserve board here: http://www.fededirectory.frb.org/download.cfm but it states:

I understand that the terms of use prohibit selling, relicensing, or otherwise using information in the directory for commercial gain

You can buy an official copy from accuity for $495, "ABA Key to Routing Numbers" http://store.accuitysolutions.com/order.html

Up until last year, the ABA was claiming copyright to this list of 9 digit numbers, so I don't know if there is a legally open version of the dataset around. http://www.gregthatcher.com/Financial/LawyerProblems.aspx

respectPotentialEnergy
  • 1,550
  • 1
  • 10
  • 11
  • ABA site let's you register to get a ABA number, but doesn't provide a data set. The Fededirectory has wire transfer numbers but not the ABA numbers. The Acuity book @ $495 isn't open source data – Tim Child Nov 18 '14 at 20:00
  • Did you look at the "Download E-payments Routing Directories" download link on the Federal Reserve Board page? From my searches, it appears to be equivalent to the ABA Key to Routing Numbers. – respectPotentialEnergy Nov 18 '14 at 20:15
  • The data dictionary shows the routing number is columns 1-9: http://www.fededirectory.frb.org/format.cfm – respectPotentialEnergy Nov 18 '14 at 20:23
  • 1
    Yes this is the Feds Wire routing number not the ABA routing number on checks. It's confusing because they both use the term routing number but they are different values. For example Wells Fargo, CA ABA #121042882, the Fed Wire number is 1222-4260-7 FRB Number 121000374 see http://www.fededirectory.frb.org/details_ACH.cfm?aba=122242607 – Tim Child Nov 18 '14 at 22:36
  • @BlairChristian - from my reading of the terms of use, the Federal Reserve E-Payment Routing Directory is copyright protected: https://frbservices.org/legal/index.html – Andrew - OpenGeoCode Nov 18 '14 at 22:38
  • 1
    If the data is deemed to be factual then its not copyright-able. That's regardless of any claims organizations may assert. – Tim Child Nov 19 '14 at 15:36
  • I agree with @TimChild that it shouldn't be copyrightable (eg Feist v Rural), the ABA is sending cease and desist letters claiming that (my interpretation of Greg Thatcher letters) issuing sequential numbers to identify entities is somehow original thought. Let us know if you find a good solution. – respectPotentialEnergy Nov 21 '14 at 16:51
7

A couple options (unknown license, my source):

1.The first 9 digits of the first field in this text file (fixed link, mirror) seem to be the routing number.

 011000015O0110000150020802000000000FEDERAL RESERVE BANK                1000 PEACHTREE ST N.E.              ATLANTA             GA303094470866234568111

where 011000015 is the routing number of the Federal Reserve Bank

You could also use the FBR.org site, but it doesn't work to paste different numbers into the end of the URL

https://www.fededirectory.frb.org/details.cfm?aba=011000015

2.There is an API where you can search individually (main page).

https://www.routingnumbers.info/api/data.json?rn=011000015

Returns 

{
 "telephone": "877-372-2457",
 "routing_number": "011000015",
 "record_type_code": "0",
 "institution_status_code": "1",
 "zip": "30309-4470",
 "office_code": "O",
 "data_view_code": "1",
 "message": "OK",
 "customer_name": "FEDERAL RESERVE BANK",
 "change_date": "122415",
 "city": "ATLANTA",
 "code": 200,
 "state": "GA",
 "new_routing_number": "000000000",
 "rn": "011000015",
 "address": "1000 PEACHTREE ST N.E."
}

The key/value pair: "customer_name":"FEDERAL RESERVE BANK" is the info you may be looking for.

philshem
  • 17,647
  • 7
  • 68
  • 170
  • For most of the routing numbers in this list/api the addresses and cities are incorrect. For example the above routing number's address is actually "600 Atlantic Ave, Boston" according to aba.com – alanh Jul 25 '16 at 22:06
  • The frb.org website seems to be down. Is there a known alternative? – joshuadelange Jun 05 '19 at 13:52
1

ABA is kind of an outdated term. Look for routing numbers.

Start here:

Fedwire

Consider the data a beginning point. There are duplicate routing numbers that correspond to different banks. This seems to happen when one bank takes over another. For instance, Wells Fargo and Wachovia numbers overlap. Wells Fargo bought Wachovia in 2008.

But, this is the one that drove me crazy - there's no naming convention for banks. A large bank (say, bank of America) has a gazillion routing numbers and about as many ways of listing the bank name. Like, Bank of America, BofA, BoA, B of A, BankAmerica and a whole bunch of others that defy imagination.

Best wishes!

It's a tough and fluid dataset.

Try here as well but you'll have to scrape the screen to get the entire dataset.

pndfam05
  • 552
  • 2
  • 4
1

A routing transit number (RTN) is a nine digit bank code, used in the United States, which appears on the bottom of negotiable instruments such as checks identifying the financial institution on which it was drawn. This code was designed to facilitate the sorting, bundling, and shipment of paper checks back to the drawer's (check writer's) account.

The RTN is also used by Federal Reserve Banks to process Fedwire funds transfers, and by the Automated Clearing House to process direct deposits, bill payments, and other such automated transfers.

The RTN number is derived from the bank's transit number originated by the American Bankers Association, which designed it in 1910. Wikpedia

pndfam05
  • 552
  • 2
  • 4