What is a Forwarding Vendor?
A forwarding vendor defines where accounts are sent and how they are handled after forwarding.
Accounts are sent to vendors through forwarding distributions.
When to Use a Forwarding Vendor
Use a standard forwarding vendor when:
Sending accounts to external agencies or vendors
The receiving system does not require ongoing synchronization
Account activity will be managed outside of ACE after forwarding
Common Use Cases
Consumer Location: Forward accounts to agencies that operate in the consumer’s area
Collection Type: Forward accounts for third-party collections if you only handle first-party collections
Legal Handling: Forward accounts to agencies with legal resources when needed
Important
If you are forwarding accounts between two ACE systems, use ACE2ACE Forwarding instead.
See ACE2ACE Forwarding for setup instructions.
How Forwarding Setup Works
Configuring a forwarding vendor is part of a larger process:
Configure the Forwarding Vendor
Define where accounts will be sent
Configure export file structure
Work with Your Vendor
Determine required file format (headers, fields, layout)
Confirm how files will be delivered and returned
Create a Distribution
Define which accounts will be forwarded (using logic)
Run the Distribution
Generate and send account files to the vendor
Use Recall Methods (Optional)
Automatically return accounts when needed
See Forwarding Distributions and Recall Method for full setup steps.
Before You Configure
Before setting up a forwarding vendor, you should:
Confirm file format requirements with your vendor
Identify required fields and column structure
Determine how files will be delivered (e.g., SFTP, manual upload)
These details are required to properly configure export fields and headers.
Bundle Behavior
Accounts selected for forwarding may be part of a bundle.
Depending on your bundle preferences:
All accounts in a bundle may be sent to the same vendor
Only accounts in the current batch may be grouped
Accounts may be split across different vendors
These settings are applied globally and can affect how accounts are distributed.
Bundle behavior is applied when the distribution selects and sends accounts to this vendor.
See Forwarding Bundle Preferences for details.
Forwarding Permissions
To access the Forward menu, you will need the following permission roles:
Menu - Forwarding
Manage - Forwarding
Manage - Forwarding Vendors
Access
Go to Forwarding → Vendors → New
Select Template as the provider
How to Configure
Create a new vendor and configure the required fields.
This vendor will be selected in a forwarding distribution, which controls when and how accounts are sent.
Required Fields
Identifier – Unique name for the vendor
Payment Destination – Determines how payments are handled
Location – Associated location for the vendor
Vendor Type / Destination – Defines where accounts are sent
Optional Configuration
Depending on your setup, you may also configure:
Export settings
Limits or thresholds
Permissions or restrictions
Vendor Field Descriptions
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Provider | Select Template from the dropdown. |
Identifier | Add the Forwarding Vendor Name. |
Export Folder | Location where export files will be stored for this vendor. |
Ignore Bundle Method | Select this checkbox to ignore global bundling preferences. See Forwarding Bundle Preferences for details. |
Export Header | List of column names for export file that will place accounts with the forwarding vendor. |
Export Fields | List of fields to be extracted from ACE and included in the export file for the forwarding vendor. See the letter export database for correct syntax. Go to Help → Layout → Letter Data Source. |
Export Trans Header | List of column names for the export file that includes all transactions applied to an account after it has been forwarded. |
Export Trans Fields | Fields included in the transaction file. Transactions are exported once to prevent duplicates. Transactions from payments made by the forwarding vendor are also included. It is recommended to include debtTrans.receiver to identify transactions from a forwarding receiver. |
Export Recall Header | List of column names for an export file that will recall accounts that were previously placed with the forwarding vendor. |
Export Recall Fields | List of fields to be extracted from ACE and included in the export file that will recall accounts that were previously placed with the forwarding vendor. |
Export Document Format | The file format for all exported documents. Only a comma delimited (CSV) or tab delimited (TSV) file is currently supported. |
Export Debt Documents | This will generate a single zip file per placement batch that contains all attached documents from the placed accounts. Document file names will be prefixed with the account number. |
Note | A simple string field to add notes related to the vendor. |
Payment Destination | It is recommended that you create a Manual Mixed payment destination for the forwarding vendor. Select the created payment destination. |
Location | If you want to create a unique payment batch location for forwarding, you can go to Setup → Transactions → Payment Batch Locations. Select the related location here. |
Max Placements | This will restrict the maximum number of accounts that can be placed with this forwarding vendor. Use 0 if there is no such restriction. |
Max Placement Amount | This will restrict the maximum amount that can be placed with this forwarding vendor. Leave blank if there is no restriction. |
Current Placements | This will show the current number of accounts placed with this forwarding vendor. |
Current Placement Amount | This will show the current dollar amount placed with this forwarding vendor. |
Exclude States | This will automatically exclude accounts from being placed with this forwarding vendor if the account as a primary address state selected here. It’s used to prevent forwarding agencies from working accounts in states where they aren’t licensed to work. |
Default Status Code | The status code for accounts placed with this forwarding vendor if not declared in the distribution settings. See: Forwarding Distributions. |
Accepted Vendor Status Codes | When updating account statuses using the ETL Profile Account Update load method, the Forwarding Vendor Status Field can map status codes. ACE excludes status codes not selected here. |
Active | Active (Boolean): Select to enable this vendor. |
Information Section
Enter the vendor’s basic details and contact information.
Required Fields
Vendor Type: Select the vendor category (e.g., Collection Agency, Attorney, Debt Buyer)
Company Name: Vendor’s legal or business name
Address: Vendor’s primary address
Phone Number: Primary contact number
Contact Sections
You can expand and complete additional contact details as needed:
Primary Contact
Secondary Contact
Accounting Contact
Billing Contact
Image Displays Information Section in Forwarding Vendor
Placement Types Section
Placement types control how accounts behave after forwarding.
Select New and enter the required fields.
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Field | Description |
|---|---|
Placement Type | Options include Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, Early Outs, CCCS, and SKIPS. |
The selected rate applies a default forwarding commission to accounts under this placement model. The forwarding commission can be overwritten when making payments manually or when loading payments via a vendor file. | |
Minimum Balance | This balance restricts accounts from being forwarded if the account's current balance is less than the specified minimum. |
Minimum Settlement | You can set a minimum settlement percentage that mimics client-level settlement minimum controls. |
How It’s Used
Selected in Forwarding Distributions
Used when a distribution runs to determine which vendor receives the accounts
Controls how placement, transaction, and recall files are generated
Notes
Vendor configuration directly impacts file generation
Incorrect export fields may cause vendor file rejection
Always test with a small batch before full deployment