Bug Report Template: Linear for Fintech
Fintech bugs can lose money, expose sensitive financial data, or trigger regulatory violations. A bug that causes incorrect balance calculations is not just a functional defect -- it is a potential regulatory event requiring notification to affected customers and possibly to financial regulators.
This Linear template adds financial impact assessment and regulatory notification triggers to bug reports.
Template sections
5 sections covering the complete bug report workflow.
Financial Impact Assessment
Quantify the financial impact of the bug: amount of money affected, number of transactions impacted, number of customers with incorrect balances, and total exposure. This information determines the escalation path and whether regulatory notification is required. Include both realized impact (money already lost/gained incorrectly) and potential impact (exposure if the bug continues).
Bug: Interest calculation uses 360-day year instead of 365-day year for savings accounts. Realized impact: 1,247 accounts overcharged by average of $0.43 over 3 months (total: $536.21). Potential monthly impact: $178.74 if not fixed. Regulatory threshold: individual impact under $25, aggregate under $10,000, no regulatory notification required. Resolution: fix calculation, credit affected accounts, send notification to affected customers.
Tips
- Quantify both realized and potential financial impact in every fintech bug report
- Compare impact against regulatory notification thresholds
- Include the customer communication plan for affected accounts
- Track remediation (credits, refunds) as part of bug resolution
Transaction Reconciliation Impact
Document how the bug affects transaction reconciliation: are ledger entries incorrect, are bank settlement files affected, and will the daily reconciliation process flag discrepancies? Include the reconciliation fix procedure alongside the code fix because the data must be corrected in addition to the code.
Bug: Duplicate transaction entries created when API timeout triggers retry. Reconciliation impact: 23 duplicate ledger entries over 5 days, causing $4,521.00 in inflated settlement totals. Bank settlement file for March 12 includes 3 duplicate entries. Fix requires: code fix (add idempotency key), data fix (reverse duplicate entries), settlement correction (amended file to bank partner), reconciliation rerun for affected dates.
Tips
- Include data fix procedure alongside code fix in every financial bug report
- Document settlement file impact and whether corrections need to be filed
- Specify which reconciliation reports need to be rerun after the fix
- Track the complete remediation chain: code fix, data fix, settlement correction
Regulatory Notification Assessment
Assess whether the bug requires regulatory notification based on financial impact thresholds, data exposure, and applicable regulations. GLBA requires notification for unauthorized data access. State regulations may require notification for financial errors above certain thresholds. Document the assessment regardless of outcome for audit purposes.
Regulatory assessment: Bug caused incorrect APY display (showed 4.5% instead of 4.0%) for 72 hours. Customers who opened accounts during this period (n=34) received the displayed rate per UDAP (unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts) guidance -- we honor the displayed rate. No regulatory notification required because no financial loss to customers. Assessment documented and reviewed by compliance officer. Jira comment: "Compliance review complete, no notification required, see assessment doc."
Tips
- Document the regulatory notification assessment for every financial bug, even if not required
- Include compliance officer review as a step in financial bug resolution
- Honor displayed rates/prices to customers per UDAP guidance even if they were wrong
- Keep assessment documentation in Linear for audit trail purposes
Root Cause with Financial Context
Financial bug root causes must identify not just what went wrong technically but why existing controls (reconciliation, monitoring, validation) did not catch it sooner. This informs control improvements alongside the code fix. Include the detection gap analysis: how long the bug existed, why monitoring did not catch it, and what control should be added.
Root cause: Interest calculation function used 360 instead of 365 for day count. Detection gap: bug existed for 47 days. Why not caught sooner: unit tests used hardcoded expected values that matched the 360-day calculation. Daily reconciliation does not check interest accrual accuracy (only checks transaction totals). Control improvement: add interest accrual accuracy check to daily reconciliation, add property-based tests with independent interest calculation.
Tips
- Include detection gap analysis: how long existed and why monitoring missed it
- Identify which existing control failed and how to strengthen it
- Add the new control (monitoring, test, reconciliation check) as part of bug resolution
- Track time-to-detection as a metric for financial bug severity assessment
Customer Communication Plan
Financial bugs affecting customer accounts require communication. Specify: who is affected, what they need to know, whether credits or corrections are needed, and the timeline. Include the communication template and approval chain. Do not send customer communications without compliance and legal review for financial matters.
Affected customers: 1,247 savings account holders. Impact: overcharged average $0.43 in interest over 3 months. Communication: email notification explaining the error, confirming automatic credit to their account, and providing contact information for questions. Credit processed: same day as fix. Approval chain: engineering verifies fix and credit amounts, compliance reviews communication, legal approves before send. Send date: within 5 business days of fix deployment.
Tips
- Include communication template in the Linear bug issue for parallel review
- Require compliance and legal approval on all financial customer communications
- Process credits/corrections before or simultaneously with customer notification
- Provide customer support talking points for inquiries about the issue
Copy-paste template
# Bug Report — Fintech (Linear) ## Summary [One-line description] ## Financial Impact - **Realized:** $[amount] across [N] accounts - **Potential:** $[amount]/month if not fixed - **Regulatory threshold:** [Above/Below notification threshold] ## Reconciliation - **Ledger entries affected:** [Count] - **Settlement files affected:** [Yes/No, which dates] - **Data fix required:** [Yes/No, procedure] ## Regulatory Assessment - **Notification required:** [Yes/No] - **Compliance review:** [Status] - **Assessment documented:** [Yes/No] ## Customer Communication - **Affected customers:** [Count] - **Credits required:** [Yes/No, amount] - **Communication approved:** [Status]
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