Application Engine to CI Error Handling

We load a file to a custom staging table.  The table is read and the Vendor Component Interface is invoked.  If any data element in any row of the staging table is invalid, the CI writes the error to the log and ABEND's the entire Application Engine.  We have a good idea for how to trap and track error rows, but how can we prevent the CI from ABEND'ing the AE? Note that try/catch does not work with CI's.  Setting the AE step to ignore/suppress on error has no impact.  We have tried with with a sql fetch loop vs. the staging table and with doing a for loop for the staging table rowset.  A two-step approach of do-select/peoplecode also does not work per various blog entries.