This standard defines specifications for interindustry exchange of data between point-of-service computer systems of financial transaction card issuers. It is intended to facilitate the exchange of transaction cards issued in accordance with American National Standard Specifications for Credit Cards, ANSI X4.13-1971, American National Standard Magnetic Stripe Encoding for Credit Cards - Track 3, ANSI X4.16a-1977. The data records defined herein provide for: (1) Maintenance of remote file data bases (2) Authorization advice to issuers (3) Transaction advice to issuers (4) Authorization inquiry and response Record data elements and record formats are defined. This standard does not cover message formats, communications protocols, or transmission characteristics.