With a recent amendment to the NACHA Operating Rules requiring third-party senders to conduct annual ACH audits, Viewpointe®, trusted provider of electronic content management and exchange services, announced an extension of its member services.
In its continued commitment to support all participants in the ACH network, Viewpointe Clearing, Settlement & Association Services (VPCS&AS) is introducing a targeted set of offerings tailored to the needs of third-party senders, including member benefits, customized ACH audits and a Third-Party Sender roundtable. VPCS&AS, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Viewpointe Archive Services, LLC, provides image exchange and settlement, payments solutions and ACH association services.
Approved December 20, 2010, the scope of the annual rules compliance audit requirements were expanded to require third-party senders to conduct such audits to the extent that they perform any functions of an ODFI under the Rules. On March 18, 2011, the Rule went into effect, requiring third-party senders to complete an annual audit by December 1. Viewpointe's existing ACH audit services are now available to third-party senders to help them comply with this new NACHA rule.
Viewpointe's audit consultations are conveniently offered by Viewpointe's team of Accredited ACH Professionals (AAPs), offering a thorough completion of the NACHA requirement and freeing the third-party sender's internal resources to perform their regular duties. Viewpointe's customized ACH audit services include an analysis of policies, procedures, practices and processing, origination review and an assessment of ACH exception handling. Viewpointe also offers in-depth recommendations for improvements and training at the conclusion of the audit.
Additionally, Viewpointe chairs the Third-Party Sender Roundtable, which serves as a forum to identify issues and collaborate on solutions that benefit the entire ACH network. Established in 2010, this group consists of third-party senders, financial institutions and other industry players who provide input on ACH payments issues and help contribute to the rules-making process.
"Participating in the Roundtable has proved invaluable to us," said John Hughes, Vice President ofoof TELEDRAFT, Inc, a third-party processor in Arizona. "This group is paving the way for ACH processors to have a voice in NACHA as we take steps to strengthen our governance for the benefit of ourselves, our customers, ODFIs and the industry."
Third-party senders can also opt to join VPCS&AS's Affiliated Participant Program to obtain many of the same membership benefits as financial institutions. VPCS&AS is one of the nation's 17 payments associations and, as a voting member of NACHA, provides industry-level advocacy for its members. Benefits of the Affiliated Participant Program include access to Viewpointe's payments experts for rules interpretation and operational support as well as discounted rates on education classes, publications and services. While Viewpointe's ACH audit services are available to both members and non-members, members enjoy discounted pricing on audit support.
"Third-party senders play a critical role in the payments process, as the latest NACHA Rules change demonstrates," said Glenn Wheeler, President, VPCS&AS. "Viewpointe's targeted set of offerings tailored to the needs of third-party senders provides tactical assistance to help them run an efficient operation while giving third-party senders a powerful voice in the ACH industry."