9210: The Zip Code of Another IT-Soap

  • Authors:
  • A. S. Klusener;C. Verhoef

  • Affiliations:
  • Software Improvement Group, Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Free University of Amsterdam, Department of Computer Science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands steven@cs.vu.nl;Free University of Amsterdam, Department of Computer Science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands x@cs.vu.nl

  • Venue:
  • Software Quality Control
  • Year:
  • 2004

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Abstract

Nine-to-ten (9210) refers to the problem that the Dutch banks are running out of 9-digit bank account numbers and need to convert to 10-digit numbers. At the same time, the Dutch government wants bank account numbers to be portable to encourage competition; this may become European policy. A recent European standard for cross-border money transfers proposes totally nonportable bank account numbers. These orthogonal policies have such a high IT-soap caliber that we sometimes refer to it as 9210 Policy Nils. Whatever the plot of “nine-two-one-o,” major challenges are at stake for European banks and other “number crunchers” like tax authorities, mail-order firms, etc. This paper gives insight in cost aspects, the possibilities, and impossibilities of 9210 and related problems.