What Is A Tickler File? Definitions For The Banking Industry (2024)

FAQs

What is a tickler in banking? ›

Bank loan tickler tracking is a way to track items that must be documented throughout the life of the loan. It often includes due dates for customers to submit insurance policy renewals, financial statements, tax returns, and UCC continuations.

: a file that serves as a reminder and is arranged to bring matters to timely attention.

Final answer:

A "tickler" file is a chronologic reminder system used for organizing documents or tasks that require future attention, sorted into daily and monthly folders.

Documents within the folders of a tickler file can be to-do lists, pending bills, unpaid invoices, travel tickets, hotel reservations, meeting information, birthday reminders, coupons, claim tickets, call-back notes, follow-up reminders, maintenance reminders, or any other papers that require future action.

A tickler report provides bank and credit union employees with a list of expiring documents that require action. Bankers can also generate lists of items that have already passed the expiration or due date. Tickler reports are essential for managing risk and serve as helpful reminders to: Lenders.

A tickler file is a paper or digital reminder system. It organizes a list of current or future tasks that need completed or tracked—either once or on a recurring basis.

The Tickler is also referred to as “perpetual file,” “bring-forward file,” “follow-up file,” or “suspense file.” It consists of file folders (letter or legal size)—31 daily files are labeled “1” through “31” and twelve monthly files are labeled with the months of the year.

The physical way to create a Tickler File is through a kind of three-dimensional calendar with 43 folders: 31 numbered from 1 to 31 for each day of the month, and 12 more labeled with the name of each month. The daily folders go before the monthly ones, so that the first folder corresponds to today.

To put the tickler file into action, put tasks or items (on paper) that need to be done by particular days into the corresponding days' folders for the current month. For example, if you process invoices on the 15th of the month, place all invoices that come across your desk into folder No. 15.

A tickler file system can help you remember to complete important tasks, follow up on projects, or take action on ideas that you come up with. It can also help you stay organized by providing a timeline for activities that must be done on a regular basis.

In which order should a tickler file be kept? ›

Working from the Tickler File System

As each day passes, folders get moved, so the current day's folder is always in the front. Months get moved to the very back of the box and day folders get moved behind the upcoming month.

The tickler file is still useful, however, these many seasons later! Although when I first learned about this kind of file, it was pre-all-things-digital, but I still use one because there are some items — even in 2022 — that are NOT digital and for those and other situations, physical items serve as the prompt.

A tickler system is designed to remind lawyers of certain dates, such as compliance deadlines or filing deadlines that, if missed, could severely prejudice a lawyer's client. One unique feature of a tickler system is a “bring forward date”.

Tickler Reports provide a list of employees who require that some action be taken to keep their employment or pay status current.

Tenant Tickler – shows which tenants moved out and which tenants moved in.