How does everyone handle Direct deposit changes through ESS?

We do allow both, but do require new account setups to go through the prenote process.

We also allow changes and new accounts through ESS that require prenote process. We added a script to turn off security to make these changes while payroll is processing but otherwise employees can make the changes.

We have allowed all types of updates for Direct Deposits on ESS. However, we have modified the code extensively for the following: Prenoting (chaning the list page to indicate if the account is "active" or waiting on bank response). Remove the "choose a bank" option and allow them to enter anything they want in the bank name -- but require routing number (had too many choose the first Chase Bank account they found and then had problems with bad routing numbers. If Bank (routing number) is the same, don't re-prenote. Do not allow a Change to the Bank (routing number) - forces a delete and add.
We do not do 'partial ACH' and we warn (many times that if a person changes the default to a non-prenoted account that they will get a paper check.

I have a question for those that offer ESS Direct Deposit to their employees.

We are in the early stages of rolling this functionality out to employees. I know that "out of the box" anything can be entered in the bank name by the employee. Our company may choose to make the bank name a display only field and then always display the bank name according to what is listed on the Federal Reserve ACH file.

How do you maintain the bank names in ESS? I can see that if a change is made on PR12.4, it does not update what is displayed in ESS.

Prior to going to EMSS 9.0.1 we modified the ESS direct deposit form so EEs couldn't add bank info, they had to select from the options given. If they couldn't find their bank they sent an email to HRIS. If it wasn't their it is added, most of the time the bank had a name change after our last upload and it is found using the routing number. We also updated the wording to "Close This Account" because EEs were closing their wrong accounts (we still make this mod). I think we modified 'addaccount.js' located in the xhrnet/directdeposit/jslib folder.
Current Apps 9 coding includes the needed edits to verify routing number. The search box was also enhanced to allow search on routing numbers.

We download the FedWire file from 'https://www.fededirectory.frb.org/download.cfm', manipulate it a bit and upload to PR12.4 using Add-ins. This is typically done qrtly.

I suspect we will also be modifying the ESS direct deposit so that the employee will enter their transit routing number and the bank name will display based off of what is on the PR12.4 We will likely also be using the FedWire file an updating the PR12.4 on a regular basis (yet to be determined).

Since you use the FedWire file to update PR12.4, have you noticed that if an employee has a DD distribition set up and the bank name changes like in the event the banks merge, even if the name is changes on PR12.4, it is not changing the bank name the employee is seeing in EMSS?

I manually change a bank name and then returned to EMSS and the name was not changed. Have you encountered this?

the same thing happens here. HR decided not to update the bank name on the employee's setup (PR12).