FFIEC Data Connector

• The FFIEC Webservice Python Connector library (ffiec_data_connect) downloads data from the FFIEC (Federal Financial Institution Examination Council) via the FFIEC's "webservice" interface.

• The library interfaces with the SOAP-based API published by FFIEC, normalizing dates and data, conducting transformations to permit immediate analysis of acquired data within a Python data science or scripted environment.

Disclaimer

• This package and documentation is not affiliated with the Federal Financial Institution Examination Council (FFIEC) or any other US Government Agency.
• Please review the license and disclaimer before using this package.

Overview

The FFIEC Webservice Python Connector (ffiec_data_connect) was created to facilitate the use of the SOAP-based FFIEC Webservice.

Although limited documentation is provided for the Webservice by the FFIEC, practical use of the Webservice via Python requires a considerable amount of boilerplate code - and knowledge of esoteric terms and concepts inherent to bank regulatory data.

With these challenges in mind, this package provides a Python wrapper for the FFIEC Webservice, simplifying the process of interacting with the Webservice, and allow the rapid development of Python applications that require use of the data hosted on the Webservice.

Data returned from the Webservice may be returned as a native Python data structure (list) or Pandas DataFrames or Series.

Installation

pip install ffiec-data-connect

Quickstart

1. To run this Quick Start, you must have an account on the FFIEC Webservice at https://cdr.ffiec.gov/public/PWS/CreateAccount.aspx?PWS=true
2. After you create an account, verify your password, and complete the sign-in process, log into the public web interface here: https://cdr.ffiec.gov/Public/PWS/Login.aspx
3. When you login, go to the "Account Details" tab. On this screen, look for the Security Token. This token is the password that you will use for the login credentials for ffiec-data-connect, not the password.

Troubleshooting and Helpful Info

• General issues with certificates and authentication: Multiple users have reported issues running the library on Windows-based python installations. The issues arise from libraries that have dependencies on Windows platform-specific SSL authentication libraries. Unfortunately, there are no universal fixes to these issues, as each Windows-based installation can be unique. If you are unable to operate the library in Windows, I advise utilizing a service such as Google Colab or finding a Linux-based or Mac-based machine instead.

• Seeing the ValueError: Invalid Format String error? Make sure you are running version >= 0.2.7. If running earlier versions in Windows, an incompatibility with the strptime library prevents parsing of valid date strings. A workaround is present in more recent versions of the library. To install the latest version, you may type pip install ffiec-data-connect==0.2.7 at the commend line.

• The FFIEC Webservice throttles requests. As per the Webservice:

Currently, the PWS will allow a limited number of downloads (approximately 2500 per hour). 

If the download limit has been reached within one hour, the user will have to wait until the next hour to continue with the next download.

A back-off function is recommended if your anticipated downloads would be greater than this limit.

Sample Code

Sample code to login and collect reporting periods:

        from ffiec_data_connect import methods, credentials, ffiec_connection
        
        creds = credentials.WebserviceCredentials(username="USER_NAME_GOES_HERE", password="SECURITY_TOKEN_GOES_HERE")

        conn = ffiec_connection.FFIECConnection()

        reporting_periods = methods.collect_reporting_periods(
            session=conn,
            creds=creds,
            output_type="list",
            date_output_format="string_original"
        )