Blogs

World Password Day: Strengthen Your Digital Defenses

By Stephanie Hottle posted 04-22-2026
Passwords are the tiny, unsung superheroes of your digital life. They guard your money, your messages, your health records, and yes, even those late-night social media scrolls. Yet we often treat them like afterthoughts, reusing the same ones or forgetting them entirely. World Password Day, celebrated the first Thursday in May , is the perfect reminder to give these digital defenders the attention they deserve and make sure they’re up to the challenge. A Brief History Passwords have been around as long as people have wanted to keep secrets, think secret societies and espionage. Today, our secrets are digital, but the principle remains, without strong passwords, ...

Protecting the Next Generation: Teaching Kids to Be Smart — and Safe — with Money

By Yasmin Porcaro posted 03-23-2026
Every April during Financial Literacy Month we celebrate National Teach Children to Save Day . It’s a time to help young people understand the value of money. But in today’s world, that also means teaching them how to protect it. As a payments professional and a parent of a 7-year-old, I know that teaching kids to save is about much more than piggy banks and dollar bills. It’s about preparing them for a digital world where money moves fast, and where fraudsters move even faster. Digital Dollars, Real Risks Children today are growing up surrounded by digital money: online games, digital wallets, and payment apps. While these innovations ...

Wire Fraud Prevention: Stay Alert, Stay Protected

By Krystle Bucci posted 03-03-2026
March 1 - 7 is National Consumer Protection Week , a nationwide initiative focused on fraud awareness and prevention sponsored by the Federal Trade Commission. 2026 is the 28 th year of the FTC joining with partner organizations to amplify the importance of consumer protection. During this time, I want to spotlight the growing threat of wire transfer scams and their increasing impact on our industry. Payments have always been my passion, and wires were among the first responsibilities I handled when I began my career in deposit operations over 15 years ago. During that time, I had the privilege of transforming the wire department, consolidating processing ...

Romance Scams: Love, or Lies?

By Angelica Larranaga posted 02-02-2026
Romance scams are among the costliest fraud threats facing consumers today. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), people reported more than $800 million lost to romance scams in 2024, reflecting both emotional and financial harm. For financial institutions, these scams create unique challenges—and opportunities to intervene before money is gone for good. March will be here before we know it, and along with it Fraud Prevention Month and National Consumer Protection Week , so now is the perfect time for strengthening accountholder education and empowering staff. What Romance Scams Look Like Today Romance scams occur when a bad actor ...

Does the Company Entry Description PAYROLL Include Reimbursements?

By Michael Jeffcoat posted 01-28-2026
Recently a member asked: Can I please get clarification on the Company Entry Description PAYROLL - “for wages, salaries, or similar types of compensation.” Do similar types of compensation include expense reimbursements, cell phone or car allotment, etc.? This is a good question , and it’s one where both interpretations can be correct, depending on facts and circumstances. Under the Nacha Operating Rules, the Company Entry Description reflects the purpose of the credit. For PPD credits, “PAYROLL” is required when the Entry is for wages, salaries, or similar types of compensation. The descriptor is descriptive only and does not represent ...

Is There an Industry Standard for Reviewing Unauthorized Return Rates?

By Michael Jeffcoat posted 01-07-2026
I think this recent conversation in the Discussion section of our Member Community will be of interest to many members: Q: I am reaching out to see what the industry standard is for reviewing unauthorized return rates. Are financial institutions notifying Originators when they have 2 unauthorized transactions in a total of 2,000 entries? Or do you start the conversation when there are 1,000 unauthorized out of 2,000 entries? How are institutions handling this process? A: When an origination partner exceeds a Return rate threshold (or level), the ODFI’s obligation is outcome-based, not method-based . Nacha sets the requirement and the timeframes, ...

Top Takeaways From the 2025 FedNow Workshops

By Stephanie Tisch posted 12-03-2025
Executive Summary The FedNow Workshops in Richmond, Charlotte, and Jacksonville this year highlighted the operational simplicity, digital onboarding improvements, and strategic opportunities for financial institutions (FIs) adopting instant payments. Early adopters shared positive experiences, emphasizing streamlined reconciliation, minimal exceptions, and customer-driven adoption without extensive marketing. The discussion also underscored the urgency for FIs to participate in FedNow to remain competitive and to meet consumer expectations shaped by platforms like Zelle and Venmo. As of the presentation of these workshops, FedNow ...

Understanding Authentication vs. Authorization

By Krystle Bucci posted 10-27-2025
In the ACH Network, authorization and authentication are distinct but complementary processes: authorization grants permission to initiate a transaction, while authentication verifies the identity of the party initiating it. What Is Authentication? Authentication is the process of verifying that a person or entity is who they claim to be. In the ACH context, this typically occurs when: A consumer logs into a banking portal using credentials like a username, password, or biometric data A business Originator accesses a payment platform using secure credentials A financial institution confirms the identity of its customer before allowing ...

Securing the Backbone of Payments: Best Practices for FedLine Security

By Tracy Marshall posted 09-09-2025
I n today’s fast-moving digital payments landscape, security is non-negotiable , especially for systems like FedLine , which provide critical access to the Federal Reserve’s financial services. FedLine is an organization’s gateway to process Fedwire funds transfers, ACH originations and settlements, or FedNow transactions, and it must be safeguarded with diligence, precision, and oversight. What Is FedLine? FedLine is a suite of secure access solutions used by financial institutions to interact with the Federal Reserve Bank's payment and information services, which include: FedLine Web – Browser-based access for basic reporting and messaging ...

Highlights from the Cannabis Banking Symposium

By Angelica Larranaga posted 08-20-2025
I recently attended the 7th Annual Cannabis Banking Symposium sponsored by the Association for Cannabis Banking (ACB) and The National Association of State Credit Union Supervisors (NASCUS) . It was a great opportunity to get a sense of the current state of the industry from the perspective of our members, and I want to share my key takeaways: ✅ Banking is a not just a compliance decision, but a strategic decision. A major theme throughout the event was that a successful cannabis banking program begins with a top-down strategic decision. It requires full institutional buy-in, starting with the Board of Directors defining the institution's risk appetite. ...

Are Your Payments Operations Ready for Hurricane Season?

By Michael Jeffcoat posted 06-10-2025
Hurricane season runs June 1 – November 30. Is your institution adequately prepared to maintain business continuity in payments operations? This is the time of year when we remind our members that the excused delay provision of the Nacha Operating Rules , found on page OR 3, Section 1.5 , is intended to apply to processing delays caused by an interruption of communications or computer facilities that is out of the control of the financial institution, due to weather emergencies (“acts of God”) or war. This rule is not intended to excuse delays due to general failure of a financial institution’s or processor’s computer system or other equipment, which ...

Reducing Remote Deposit Capture Fraud Losses

By Wanda Downs posted 11-06-2024
If your institution is experiencing an increase in check fraud - as many are - chances are some of those losses are coming through your Remote Deposit Capture (RDC) service. How can you prevent, or at least reduce, these losses? First, let’s consider: why the sudden increase? Conversations with member institutions on ePayResources’ Payments Answerline™ and in our Fraud Reduction Meetings lead me to believe it is not a result of deficiencies in the RDC services or platforms themselves. Contributing Risk Factors There are several contributing factors, the first of which is online account opening, a widely available option among our members. Fraudsters ...

Audit & Risk Assessment Makeover: The Hurdles of DIY

By Crissy Terry posted 10-15-2024
As we get deeper into the 4 th quarter of 2024, ePayAdvisors is looking ahead to getting our members’ 2025 engagements on the books now so you can get the dates that are convenient for you and your institution. Why should booking your 2025 audit and/or risk assessment with ePayAdvisors be on your mind now? After all, you can always do it yourself, especially at the last minute, right? The DIY mindset is a huge part of our culture, in large part because of the cost savings it can represent. But is DIY always the right approach, especially when your institution’s compliance and risk management are at stake? It can pay off for your institution in the ...

How to Prepare for Your ACH Audit

By Amber Schweiger posted 08-25-2024
Whether your audit has not taken place yet this year, or you are already preparing for 2025, ePayAdvisors wants to ensure a seamless process by informing you of the essential documents and information needed, potentially saving you time and resources. Here are some things to keep in mind as you prepare for your organization's ACH audit: Your audit reports for the last six years We will be verifying: • That your annual audits have been performed; • That you have been adhering to the 6-year record retention requirement for your audit reports; and • That you have remedied any findings from previous audits Samples of records of entries ...

Unlocking the Keys to Secure Transactions: Part 2 - Corporate Credit/Debit (CCD) Authorizations

By Stephanie Hottle posted 07-19-2024
In today's fast-paced corporate environment, efficient and secure financial transactions are crucial. The Automated Clearing House (ACH) Network plays a pivotal role in facilitating these transactions. Among the various transaction types, Corporate Credit or Debit (CCD) transactions stand out due to their specific requirements and significant role in corporate finance. Understanding and adhering to CCD authorization requirements is essential for ensuring compliance and maintaining smooth financial operations. CCD transactions are a type of ACH transaction designed specifically for corporate entities. Unlike consumer transactions, CCD transactions cater to ...

WOW! WHAT A GREAT MEETING!

By Stacy Turner posted 06-13-2024
You don’t hear that every day! ePayResources’ Fraud Reduction Meetings , FREE to our members, may be the exception to the rule. Maybe I’m biased as an ePayResources team member, but here’s what I observed in the recent Richmond Fraud Reduction Meeting: Lively discussion of real-life fraud examples: Elder financial exploitation (note: World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is June 15 each year) Card cracking P2P and A2A external transfers Wire fraud Washed Treasury checks U.S. Mail theft Money mules Online gaming scams Sharing of mitigation resources, ...

Unlocking the Keys to Secure Transactions: Part 1 - Understanding Proper Authorization

By Stephanie Hottle posted 06-11-2024
The ACH Network serves as the foundation for electronic payments in the United States, facilitating billions of transactions annually. Ensuring proper authorization is important to maintaining security and trust in the vast network. In this first article in my series, we’ll look at what proper authorization means and why it's crucial in the world of ACH payments. Authorization refers to the process by which an Originator obtains consent from the Receiver to initiate an electronic transaction. This consent ensures that the transaction is legitimate and authorized by the Receiver. Before initiating an ACH transaction, the Originator must obtain this explicit ...

Thinking Through External Transfer (A2A) Liability

By Barbara Hudgins posted 06-03-2024
Have you thoroughly considered the risks of external account-to-account transfers, specifically consumer debit origination? Almost every week ePayResources fields a call from a member ODFI that has been asked to provide proof of authorization (PoA) for a debit entry they allowed a consumer accountholder to send to another institution. Often the ODFI’s accountholder debited someone else’s account for a large sum, and now the accountholder and the funds are gone. The ODFI tells us that their accountholder filled out an online banking agreement and used micro-entries or some other account verification product. The problem is that account validation and transaction ...

Don't Make These Mistakes! Key Risk Management Takeaways from Payments 2024

By Crissy Terry posted 05-29-2024
I got to attend Nacha’s Smarter Faster Payments conference this month with fellow members of the ePayAdvisors team to ensure we have the latest industry and regulatory insight to support your payments compliance, risk management, and consulting needs. Here are some quick key takeaways I brought back to share with you! Session: Funds Transfer Case Update - An Overview Related to Funds Transfer Fraud and Other Funds Transfer If a customer refuses commercially reasonable security procedure and the refusal is in writing, the courts will likely side with the bank in cases of fraud (such as refusing dual control, tokens, etc.) Key takeaway: ...

Managing the Complexities of Third-Party Sender Risk

By Tracy Merritt posted 05-01-2024
In the payments world, third-party risk management identifies and mitigates the risk associated with using a Third-Party Service Provider (TPSP) or Third-Party Sender (TPS). Nacha has been incrementally addressing third-party risk management with changes to their Operating Rules and Guidelines like the Third-Party Sender Registration rule and the Third-Party Senders Roles and Responsibilities rule, to require that ODFIs know the nature of their customers’ use of the ACH Network, whether as Originators, Third-Party Senders, or other types of intermediaries. One of the trickier aspects of being an ODFI is recognizing and understanding Third-Party Senders, ...