Bank Of America MasterCard Suspensions And Cancellations Occurring On October 27, 1999

To: "USGS Employees"
From: Lisa Zukowski 
Subject: Bank Of America MasterCard Suspensions And Cancellations
  Occurring  On October 27, 1999


Note:  Supervisors, Managers, and Team Leaders:  Please ensure that
employees without access to e-mail receive a copy of this message.


MEMORANDUM

October 18, 1999

To:             All Travel, Purchase and Fleet Charge Card Holders 

From:           Lisa Zukowski
                Agency Program Coordinator 

Subject:        Bank Of America MasterCard Suspensions And Cancellations 
                Occurring On October 27, 1999

ON OCTOBER 27, 1999, ALL BANK OF AMERICA MASTERCARD ACCOUNTS THAT ARE 60
DAYS PAST DUE WILL BE SUSPENDED AND ACCOUNTS THAT ARE 90 DAYS PAST WILL BE
CANCELLED.   

The Department of the Interior (DOI) and Bank of America have determined
that the Smartpay Charge Card Program, launched Department-wide last
November, is ready to begin operating under normal operations in respect to
the Charge Card Program contract's provisions with the General Services
Administration (GSA).  Automatic suspension of accounts that are 60 days
past due will occur on October 27, 1999 effective October 28, 1999) and
cancellation will occur October 28, 1999 of accounts that are 90 or more
days past due.

We want to assure that no account is suspended or cancelled due to Bank of
America processing a transaction transfer incorrectly or not crediting a
timely payment.  Please review your account and make every effort to ensure
all payments made have been posted and all transaction transfers requested
have been successfully completed.   If you are unsure of the status of your
account, you may contact your Division Administrative Officer who was
provided a Bank of America MasterCard Delinquency Report.  If your account
is delinquent for one of the above reasons and you have previously provided
us with the information, please re-submit the information to Lisa Zukowski
via e-mail, (lzukows@usgs.gov) by October 25, 1999.   We will notify Bank
of America not to suspend these accounts until resolution of the error.  If
you have a transaction that needs to be transferred and have not previously
requested an Agency Program Coordinator (APC), listed below, to submit the
change to the bank, please do so at once.

The DOI has issued Departmental policy via, Financial Administration
Memorandum (FAM) 98-030, dated November 16, 1998, stressing the importance
of avoiding charge card delinquencies and providing guidelines for
resolving delinquencies on individually-billed travel charge card accounts.
 The USGS will shortly issue an Instructional Memorandum, which provides
more detailed USGS policies and procedures.  These documents will be posted
on the OPS Internet site at:  http://www.usgs.gov:8888/ops/smartpay/.  A
delinquency time line is already available and posted at:
http://www.usgs.gov:8888/ops/smartpay/delinqch.html.  This chart outlines
what notices and actions the cardholder can expect to occur from their
supervisor and the bank at critical intervals during a delinquency period.

The Employee Standards of Conduct requires that employees pay all just
debts, this includes payment of the Government charge cards.  Continued
failure to promptly pay can lead to disciplinary action up to and including
dismissal from Federal Service.

If you have any questions, you may contact one of the USGS Agency Program
Coordinators listed below:

Purchase:
Lisa Zukowski, (703) 648-7347, lzukows@usgs.gov;
Margaret Seaboy, (703) 648-7350, mseaboy@usgs.gov;

Travel:
Susan Sheely, (703) 648-7602, ssheely@usgs.gov;
Kathy Keillor, (703) 648-7621, kkeillor@usgs.gov;