With ACH payments processing over 31.5 billion transactions valued at $80.1 trillion in 2023, the importance of bank account validation cannot be overstated.
For many organizations, the focus on validation may stem from a need to comply with Nacha regulations. While compliance is essential, businesses that view account validation solely as a regulatory obligation are missing out on the broader benefits that come with a more strategic approach. Fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated and basic validation methods may not be enough to protect against these evolving threats.
By leveraging advanced account validation technologies, organizations can not only meet compliance requirements but also drive significant business value through enhanced fraud prevention, improved decision-making, and operational efficiencies.
Why Compliance-Driven Account Validation Matters
As a baseline, bank account validation is a process designed to verify that a bank account is legitimate and can be used for transactions. Typically, this is done by checking the format of account numbers, confirming that the account is open and active, and ensuring that the routing number is valid. These checks are vital to complying with Nacha’s Account Validation Rule, which requires organizations to use a “commercially reasonable fraudulent transaction detection system” to screen WEB debits for fraud.
While basic validation methods are sufficient for meeting regulatory requirements, they do little to address the broader risks that come with processing ACH payments. 65% of organizations were victims of fraud attacks in 2022. Today, forward-thinking businesses are going beyond this baseline by analyzing other key elements in combination with the routing and account number such as consumer identity information and payment performance.
Robust fraud detection is Key
In 2023, $3.1 Trillion in illicit funds infiltrated the Global Financial System. Fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated, often using tactics such as synthetic identity fraud or account takeover to bypass basic validation checks. These advanced validation solutions that create a more accurate risk profile enable businesses to catch potential fraud that might slip through with more basic validation methods.
Some advanced systems can detect if an applicant is using a non-residential phone number, has multiple SSNs associated with a bank, or if there’s a mismatch between the provided name and bank account. For instance, in an analysis of bank account payment performance data, bank accounts linked to three or more SSNs are found to be ten times more likely to experience a fatal return, such as an R03 (invalid account number) or R04 (unable to locate account), compared to those associated with fewer than two SSNs. Other providers of bank account validation services analyze bank accounts over time to better pinpoint high-risk bank accounts.
By combining multiple data points and analyzing connections like consumer information, bank account transaction patterns, stability, and payment performance, along with bank account routing and account numbers, businesses can prevent fraudulent transactions before they occur, significantly reducing potential losses.
Beyond fraud prevention, advanced validation technologies can also provide valuable insights that enhance decision-making across the organization. For example, during customer onboarding, these technologies can reduce the need for manual verifications by assessing bank account data in real-time. This enables organizations to dynamically route customers through onboarding, streamlining those with positive performance, while applying additional screening for higher-risk accounts.
By introducing calculated friction when necessary, such as deploying real-time microdeposits to verify authorized access to a bank account, ensures only legitimate customers and accounts are approved. Automated decisions to dynamically route customers based on risk can allow for faster onboarding and payment processing and reduce friction for legitimate customers. This allows businesses to enhance operational efficiency but also improve the overall customer experience by minimizing unnecessary delays and ensuring the right amount of verification is applied to each customer.
Managing Financial Risks Means Bottom-Line Improvement
The impact of verification is particularly critical when it comes to managing financial risks and ACH returns. By reducing the frequency of ACH returns and associated fees, businesses can see substantial improvements to their bottom line. For example, R03 (unable to locate) and R04 (invalid) are “returns with no recourse,” meaning the transactions are final and can’t be disputed or reversed, leaving organizations without the ability to recover the funds. This finality poses a significant financial risk, as businesses are left to absorb the loss. By implementing robust verification processes, organizations can minimize the likelihood of encountering these return codes. Accurate and timely validation of bank account information ensures that transactions are initiated with valid, active accounts. This not only protects the organization from financial loss but also more secure and successful ACH transactions.
Perhaps most importantly, advanced validation provides businesses with data-driven insights that enable more informed decision-making. The value of advanced validation is evident across industries. In the automotive sector, companies use these solutions not just for Nacha compliance, but to validate bank accounts before extracting car payments, to reduce ACH returns. In the real estate industry, property management firms leverage advanced validation to prevent rejecting potentially good renters during application while more accurately identifying high-risk-lenders at risk for payment issues.
As the financial landscape continues to evolve, businesses that embrace advanced account validation will be better positioned to mitigate risks, improve operational efficiency, and drive growth. By going beyond basic compliance, these organizations can unlock valuable insights that provide a competitive edge in an increasingly complex digital economy.
John Gordon is the CEO of ValidiFI, the leading provider of predictive bank account and payment intelligence.
The post Advanced Account Validation: The Key to Payment Optimization appeared first on PaymentsJournal.
