Positive pay for credit unions: stop check and ACH fraud before it posts.

Check fraud and unauthorized ACH debits remain some of the most common threats to business accounts. Positive pay gives business members a simple way to review and decide on suspicious items before money leaves their account.

How check positive pay works

1. The business sends a list of issued checks to the credit union.
2. As checks are presented, they are matched against that list by check number, amount and sometimes payee.
3. Anything that does not match is flagged as an exception.
4. The business decides to pay or return each exception, usually by a daily cutoff time.

ACH positive pay and debit blocks

ACH positive pay lets businesses set rules for which companies can debit their account and review anything outside those rules. ACH debit blocks stop all debits on accounts that should never be debited.

Why business members value positive pay

• It reduces losses from altered, counterfeit and duplicate checks.
• It gives finance teams control and peace of mind.
• It is often required by auditors, insurers and larger business clients.

Choosing a positive pay vendor

• Integration with your core, item processing and business online banking.
• A simple exception decision screen and mobile access.
• Payee name verification for stronger check protection.
• Clear default decisions and cutoff times.
• Reporting for your operations and risk teams.

Partners such as Advanced Fraud Solutions add real-time fraud detection for checks, ACH and wires. For more, read how to choose the right positive pay vendor.

Frequently asked questions