Smart Identifiers

In addition to the rich regular expression syntax, the ESA filters support the comparison of message data with smart identifiers. Smart identifiers are like a predefined regex pattern, in that they match sequences of characters, but have additional smarts to recognize particular data entities.

The four smart identifiers provided in the ESA are

• ABA routing numbers: This identifies 9-digit numerical sequences that uniquely identify a financial organization in the United States, also known as a routing transit number (RTN). This code appears on checks and other payment forms and consists of a federal reserve routing portion, an ABA institution identifier, and a check digit.

• Credit card number: Identifies 14-, 15-, or 16-digit payment card numbers issued by U.S. banks or credit unions. This smart identifier calculates the check digit by using the Luhn algorithm to verify that the sequence is actually a valid credit card number.