What does a single mismatch case look like from exception to resolution?

At Aster Financial, a payments operations analyst opens exception `REC-3310`. The bank settlement file shows a direct debit of 1,840.00 for loan `LN-5521`, but the loan ledger shows 1,480.00 received. The gap is 360.00.

The analyst checks the repayment schedule and finds a single instalment of 1,480.00. Searching the settlement batch, they find a second line of 360.00 under the same customer reference, tagged as an arrears catch-up requested by the collections team. The ledger posted the first line and parked the second in a suspense account because the reference carried a trailing space.

The analyst moves the 360.00 from suspense to the loan account with journal entry `JRN-9087` and notes the cause. The team leader approves it because the amount exceeds the analyst's adjustment limit.

Had the analyst written the 360.00 off as a rounding difference, the customer's arrears balance would have stayed overstated and a reminder letter would have gone out in the next cycle.

**What it teaches**

- The visible gap was the sum of two valid transactions, not an error in either record. - The fix needed an approval step tied to a limit. - A wrong shortcut had a downstream consequence that a final-answer check would miss. - An evaluation should score the evidence trail and the authority used, not only the corrected balance.