BAI2 to CSV Converter

What is a BAI2 file?

BAI2 is the standard format banks use to report account balances and transactions to business customers. Published by the Bank Administration Institute in 1987 (the “2” is the version), it is a plain-text file where every line is a numbered record and every transaction carries a three-digit type code instead of a readable label. That design made sense for the mainframes it was built for, but it makes the file nearly unreadable in a text editor and useless in Excel without conversion — which is exactly what this BAI2 file converter does. If you want the full anatomy of the format, read What is a BAI2 file? in the Learn section.

Who sends BAI2 files?

Banks generate BAI2 files as part of their cash management or treasury reporting services — previous-day and current-day reporting, lockbox detail, and controlled disbursement feeds all commonly arrive as BAI2. The typical recipients are corporate treasury teams, accountants, and finance departments who load the files into an ERP or treasury management system for reconciliation. If your bank posted a .bai or .bai2 file to your portal and you just need the transactions in a spreadsheet, you don't need an ERP — converting BAI2 to CSV gets you there in one step.

BAI2 record types, briefly

Every line in a BAI2 file starts with a two-digit record code. Six of them matter:

• 01 — File header: Who sent the file, who it's for, and when it was created.
• 02 — Group header: Starts a batch of accounts from one bank, with the as-of date.
• 03 — Account identifier: Opens one account: its number, currency, and balance summaries (opening/closing ledger, total credits, total debits).
• 16 — Transaction detail: One transaction: a three-digit type code, the amount, bank and customer reference numbers, and a text description.
• 88 — Continuation: Overflow from the previous record — long descriptions wrap onto 88 lines.
• 49 / 98 / 99 — Trailers: Close the account, group, and file with control totals and record counts used to detect truncated files.

The converter walks this whole structure for you: it validates the trailers, merges 88 continuations, resolves each type code to its meaning (165 → Preauthorized ACH Credit, 475 → Check Paid), applies the currency's implied decimal point, and flattens everything into one row per transaction with separate debit and credit columns.

How to convert BAI2 to CSV

1. Drop your .bai or .bai2 file above (or paste its contents). Parsing happens on your device — the file is never uploaded.
2. Check the summary: file date, sending bank, accounts, transaction count, and any validation warnings the parser found.
3. Preview the flattened transactions — dates, plain-English descriptions, signed amounts, and reference numbers.
4. Export as CSV for Excel, XLSX, or JSON.

Troubleshooting BAI2 files

Why don't my BAI2 totals match my bank statement?

BAI2 control totals are not a balance: trailer records sum every amount in the file as a positive number, mixing debits, credits, and balance/summary codes together. Non-monetary status amounts (like opening and closing ledger) are included too. To reconcile against a statement, sum the signed Amount column of the exported transactions instead — debits negative, credits positive.

A related surprise: raw BAI2 amounts have no decimal point. A USD amount of 100000 means $1,000.00 — the decimal position is implied by the currency. If your numbers look a hundred times too big in another tool, that's why. This converter applies the correct scaling per currency automatically, including zero-decimal currencies like JPY.

What are 88 continuation records in a BAI2 file?

BAI2 lines have a maximum length, so a long record spills onto following lines that start with 88. Each 88 record continues the previous record's fields — most often the free-text description of a 16 transaction detail record. This converter merges continuations automatically, so a wrapped description comes out as one clean cell.

What's the difference between a .bai and a .bai2 file?

Almost always nothing: banks commonly deliver BAI2-format data with a .bai extension. BAI2 is the second (1987) version of the Bank Administration Institute's cash management balance reporting specification, and it replaced the original BAI format decades ago. This converter accepts .bai, .bai2, and .txt files.

Is this BAI2 converter really free?

Yes — every file parses and previews free with no signup and no upload. Free exports include the first 50 transactions; a one-time $19 license unlocks unlimited exports on every LegacyFile tool.