Frequently Asked Questions
Data Entry
Why does CATS allocate a prefix to each new file?
When entering a new client, is it compulsory to enter details into every field?
Letters And Documents
Where are letters and documents generated for a specific file, saved on the hard disk?
After a while, the Files subfolder is going to get crowded. How can I best manage this situation?
A letter or document template that I created doesn't retrieve data into the fields that I inserted.
I have created a document template but it doesn't appear in the Available Documents list in the Letters screen.
Settlement Statements
I am acting for the Vendor, and the Purchaser's conveyancer wants to share searches and pay half of the cost. What is the best way to handle this in the settlement statement?
I am acting for the Purchaser and will be sharing the costs with the Vendor. How do I account for this in the settlement statements?
I inserted a statement item from the Disbursements category in the settlement statements screen, then I edited payee details to show it as fee. However, it is still listed as in the reconcilliation statement under the disbursements heading.
I am expecting total proceeds from the Purchaser's lender at settlement, but when I click on the Show Totals button in the reconcilliation screen, it shows those funds as receivable prior to settlement.
When I am doing a reconcilliation statement, do I need to enter all details for the cheques that I will be receiving at or before before settlement
Trust Account Reconcilliation
I can't reconcile my Trust Account! Where can I look to find the discrepancy?
The file prefix is normally used to identify the practitioner to whom the file belongs, rather than who is responsible for processing it. It is used in compiling statistics reports.
No. The only compulsory information when entering a new conveyancing matter is at least one surname for the Vendor and one for the purchaser. So if you are acting for the purchaser, there is no need to enter details such as the Vendors telephone numbers and salutations etc. However you should enter full names and addresses of all parties as CATS uses these for preparation of documents.
Within the folder where the CATS program resides is a sub folder called 'FILES'. When the first letter or document for a new file is created and saved, CATS automatically creates another sub folder and gives it a name corresponding to the file prefix and the file number. All letters and documents for that file are stored in that sub folder.
Create another folder on your hard drive somewhere called 'CATS Archives'. As each file settles and its' status is set to 'Closed', cut that folder from the 'File' area and paste it into the 'CATS Archive' folder. That way, only current files are stored in the 'Files' folder e.g., 'CATS Archives 1-250', 'CATS Archives 251-500' etc.
The field name has been spelled incorrectly and/or the field name is not surrounded by curly brackets - '{}'
The document might have been saved as a document (.doc) rather than as a template (.dot). Browse to the file using Windows Explorer and rename it with a .dot extension.
If you have set up a file acting for the Vendor only, the purchasers settlement screen is still available to you. Just enter half the amount of the search cost in the searches item as if you were acting for the Purchaser as well.
The vendor's conveyancer will more than likely include the cost in the adjustment sent to you. Therefore it should be treated as bypassing the trust account and therefore entered as a 'contra' debit.
This is the way it should be. There are many occasions when fees are paid in advance for a client (e.g. an LTO registration fee) usually by drawing on the practice's 'working account'. By showing it as a fee in in 'Edit payee Details', the amount of the item will be included with other fees when doing a fee draw, however the amount will be ignored for statistical purposes. It is therefore a genuine disbursement.
You are probably showing the amount due by the Purchaser to settle, as the full amount required. Amend the statement to show full proceeds coming from the lender and zero as the amount required from the Purchase to settle.
You need to enter only those cheques that will be paid into your trust account. even then, you need only enter the amount and nothing else. However, if you enter full details, you have a handy check list to mark off the required cheques as they are received.
There are many reasons why the trust account ledger will not balance with the bank statement. The following are some scenarios which will cause a discrepancy.
An EFT transaction is effected within CATS, but the money was not physically withdrawn from the bank account by 'Internet Transfer' etc.
Fees are drawn, but but the internet transfer wasn't done where the 'No Cheque' option was selected.
An internet transfer was done to to draw fees, but the fees were not actually drawn in CATS.
A cheque shown as paid on the bank statement, but not appearing in the unpresented cheques in the reconcillliation process, means that it wasn't posted to the trust account.
A direct credit to the bank account is not receipted.
Direct debits from the trust account e.g. bank charges incorrectly debited.
Stamp duty has been debited to the bank statement but not processed in CATS.
Numbers transposed, e.g. 27 instead of 72 (where this happens, the difference is alway divisible by 9).