Month-end processing

At the end of each month, a bank's batch does much more than usual. As well as the normal end-of-day work, it calculates and posts monthly interest and fees, produces statements, closes the month in the accounting systems and sends reports to regulators and other parts of the business.

That makes the month-end run longer and heavier than other nights, and often the most important. Jobs that only run once a month are also the ones people know least, because they are seen twelve times a year. If one fails, there may be less experience in fixing it.

Quarter end and year end add even more. Year end at a bank can involve special jobs, tax reporting and a change freeze around it.

Teams prepare for month end: checking that the extra jobs are scheduled, that space is available, and that support staff know what is coming. If you work in support, the first few month ends you see are some of the best learning you will get about how the business really runs.