Refunds view

Edited

What You'll Learn

  • How to view refund activity

  • What each refund status means

  • How to reissue failed refunds

  • How to download refund receipts and cashed check copies

  • Refund related transactional emails

NOTE: This article covers refunds that have already been issued. If you're looking for information on how to initiate a cancellation and refund, see our article here: Cancelations and Refunds.


Overview

Ascend automatically issues refunds when funds are due to the Insured for policy cancellations, reducing endorsements, and loan overpayments. The Refunds view is located in the Accounting tab of the navigation bar, where you can see all the relevant details of a refund and take specific refund actions when needed.

The filters located at the top of this section allow you to customize your view based on refund date, recipient type (if applicable), recipient, account manager, and current status.


Refund status labels

Each refund has a corresponding Status label, which automatically updates as the refund progresses:

  • Pending - a refund has been issued but not yet cashed

  • Cleared - a refund has been issued and successfully cashed

  • Failed - a refund has been issued but failed for one of these reasons

    • Check uncashed - if a refund check has been uncashed for 90 days, Ascend will automatically cancel it (see reissuing refunds below for next steps)

    • Instructions change - a stop payment has been placed on the refund so that the mailing address can be changed

    • Reinstatement - a refund has been stopped because the policy is being reinstated


Reissuing failed refunds

When a refund fails, you can reissue it to the same insured address or an updated address via the Actions menu.

NOTE: there is a limit of two reissues per refund - contact support if you need assistance with a refund that has reached this limit.

Reissuing refund - same address

  1. Click the Actions button on the refund

  2. Select Reissue to same address

  3. Click Confirm to automatically reissue the refund

Reissuing refund - updated address

  1. Click the Actions button on the refund

  2. Select Reissue with updated address and enter in the new address

  3. Select the checkbox if you want to apply the updated address to the customer contact info on the account

  4. Upload a verification document - this document must include the insured's name and updated address

  5. Click Update and reissue - this will update the address on all pending refunds for the insured


Downloading refund receipts and cashed check copies

To download a refund receipt and/or copy of the cashed check, click on the refund transaction and select the relevant button. Check copies only become available once the check has been cashed, if the check is uncashed that button will be grayed out.


Transactional emails

Ascend will automatically send the following refund notifications via email:

  • Refund initiated - sent to the account manager and the insured when a refund is initiated

  • Refund failed - sent to the account manager and the insured when a refund fails for any reason

  • Uncashed refund reminder - sent to the insured when their refund check remains uncashed after 30 days

  • Refund summary - a biweekly report of refund checks that remain uncashed after 30 days that is sent to your organizations' accountants, admins, and account managers


Frequently Asked Questions

Can I switch the refund payment method to ACH instead of check?

Yes, if your agency is on Ascend Plus you can submit a request to our support team to change the refund method from check to ACH. We will ask you to provide a copy of the insured's ACH info on their company or bank letterhead.

Can I reinstate a policy after a cancellation refund has been issued to the insured?

It's depends on the carrier--please contact the carrier directly to verify if they will allow a reinstatement on the policy. If so, contact our support team to process the Reinstatement request in Ascend.


Contact us

Need more help? Contact us at support@useascend.com for assistance.