Darwin Lui

Macha, Inc. and PaymentsFirst, Inc. to Merge Combination Creates Dynamic Payment Association Macha, Inc. ("Macha") and PaymentsFirst, Inc. ("PFI") announced today that their respective Boards of Directors have approved a merger agreement under which the two payment associations will combine. Macha's wholly-owned subsidiary, Payment Advisory Resource ("PAR"), will continue to offer audit and consulting services under the combined payment association. "Our organizations have very similar cultures and approaches to education, advocacy, and member-oriented service, and this merger gives us the strength and resources to remain competitive going forward.," said Mary Gilmeister, President and CEO of Macha. Rich Leary, President and CEO of PFI added, "I am excited to partner PaymentsFirst’s, education, member services, proprietary audit and risk assessment software, and industry leading AI utilization with all the exceptional services Macha offers to their members." Gilmeister will serve as the CEO of the resulting entity, and Leary will serve as the President. Leary noted, "I’ve collaborated with Mary Gilmeister on many industry initiatives over the past 30 years and am truly looking forward to bringing our teams together to serve our combined members." Gilmeister observed that "Rich Leary and his team have built a legacy with PFI that makes it a perfect fit for Macha and we look forward to working together and carrying that forward." The merger is subject to approval by the members of both Macha and PFI in accordance with their respective bylaws. The votes are expected to occur in the 3rd quarter of 2024 with consummation to follow shortly thereafter. Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. served as Macha's legal advisor. Adams and Reese LLP served as PFI’s legal advisor. ### About Macha Macha was formed in 1975 and has more than 500 members. Macha, directly and through PAR, offers its members support on all payment systems, education, audit, risk and consulting services. www.macha.org. Contact Mary Gilmeister at (262) 345-1245 or [email protected]. About PFI PFI was formed in 2015 and has more than 650 members. PFI offers its members support on all payment systems, education, audit, risk, and consulting services. www.paymentsfirst.org. Contact Rich Leary at (678) 528-3234 or [email protected]. View the full press release here: https://lnkd.in/ec2g97Ak

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To all #CDFI #CreditUnions Worried About Losing Certification: On December 7, 2023, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) published a revised CDFI Certification Application. Since then, CUCollaborate has heard from many credit unions that they worry about retaining Certification under the revised application. So, over the last few months, we have been working hard to develop strategies -- and the necessary software to support them -- to provide credit unions the best chance of retaining Certification. Below are some of the strategies, including software we have developed: 1. Custom Investment Areas (IA): While the revised certification application has significantly diminished the potential impact of custom IAs, they are still a critical tool for credit unions within reach of Certification but not quite there. Our software draws mathematically optimized, custom IAs based on a credit union’s lending activity and financial services. 2. Financial Services Option Analysis: Under the revised application, credit unions that either have 60% by number and 50% of the dollar, or 50% by number and 60% by dollar, can retain Certification if at least 60% of the credit union's depository account holders are members of one or more eligible Target Markets. We have found that the combination of a mathematically optimized Custom IA and the Financial Services Option is particularly effective in retaining Certification, specifically in desperate cases. 3. Target Market API: We have developed a CDFI Target Market API which supports a number of strategies to ensure that you meet your target market lending requirements moving forward. We have established, and continue to add more partnerships, with Fintechs (like National Auto Loan Network, LoanStar Technologies, GreenLyne, etc.) and loan participation platforms (like Aluvy, etc.) to help source qualified lending to ensure credit unions retain certification in the future. 4. CDFI Certification Dashboard: We have also developed a data analytics platform, allowing credit unions to monitor the necessary statistics to retain certification on a rolling basis to ensure that if they start to fall behind, proactive action may be taken before it is too late. 5. CUSO Strategies: If all else fails, credit unions can leverage CUSOs to either help the credit union attain or retain Certification directly OR indirectly gain the many benefits conferred by CDFI Certification through a CDFI Loan Fund CUSO. We know the value of your CDFI Certification, which is why we have invested significantly in developing strategies and proprietary technology that help credit unions retain Certification. Moreover, the software we have developed allows us to help credit unions retain Certification in instances when it would simply be impossible without it. If you believe you are in jeopardy of losing your certification, please contact us: https://lnkd.in/gsysDMTp

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For the first time, RDFIs will have a defined role in monitoring ACH payments they receive. This significant development, approved by Nacha members, aims to combat fraud, including business email compromise (BEC), associated with credit-push payments. As Jane Larimer, Nacha President and CEO, points out, "All participants in the ACH Network have a part to play in reducing the incidence of fraud and recovering when fraud has occurred." Learn more in our April 2024 Innovating Payments Executive Summary— Nacha Rules Take Aim at Credit-Push Fraud: https://lnkd.in/ezsgudgX. Plan to join Sean Carter, AAP, APRP, Mark J. Dixon, CTP, AAP, APRP, NCP, Mary Morrison, AAP, APRP, NCP, CAMS, and Patty Presta for a comprehensive two-part series, "Diving Into the Operation Impact of the New ACH Rules," on May 31 and June 07, 2024, where they will delve into the implications of these new rules, offering insights on implementation, procedures, policy updates, audits, risk assessments, and organizational engagement. 🔍 Curious about engaging with third-party providers? 📝 Wondering about new procedures and policy updates? 🤔 Unsure about ACH audits or risk assessments? Get the answers by registering for Diving Into the Operation Impact of the New ACH Rules: https://lnkd.in/e7y73DN2 #ACH #FinancialServices #FraudPrevention #RegulatoryCompliance #ProfessionalDevelopment

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Talk to us about your ACH requirements here: https://bit.ly/3WBTp2c What is an ACH payment rail? ACH stands for Automated Clearing House and is managed by National Automated Clearinghouse Association. It seamlessly transfers funds between bank accounts via the ACH network, powering and simplifying daily financial transactions for businesses. It was a system designed and released more than 50 years ago in 1972. Back then it was revolutionary. While it has delays associated with it, it has stood the test of time and remains the most widely used system for payments in the US, with volumes in the year 2023 exceeding 30 billion transactions for more than 80 trillion dollars. The ACH network supports two primary transaction types: ACH credit, where money is pushed into the recipient's account (example: employer deposits), and ACH debit, where funds are pulled from the payer's account (example: direct payments).

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About a year after the FedNow service launched, financial institutions are focusing on delivering customer value through overlay services like Request for Payments (RfP) built on instant payment systems. This tool remains underutilized by many banks, with only 39% fully recognizing its high demand, resulting in missed opportunities. Meanwhile, fintechs are ahead of the game, offering streamlined invoicing and QR-based bill payments to attract business clients. It’s time for banks to catch up and harness the potential of RfP. Find out how in our latest blog. Why Banks Can't Afford to Ignore Request for Payment - Finzly https://hubs.la/Q02DSqzt0

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Flybits Announces Integration with Q2’s Digital Banking Platform Banks and Credit Unions can now deploy Flybits’ cutting-edge solutions through Q2’s Digital Banking Platform to enhance and grow customer relationships through data-driven personalization. Flybits’ solutions enables financial institutions to: -Rapidly deliver deposit, auto-savings and investment use cases -Manage the cardholder lifecycle at each critical touchpoint -Launch data-powered alerts and notifications -Apply AI in safe and secure ways to enhance personalized banking -Curate zero-party customer data to improve segmentation and personalization -Provide a completely custom experience to every banking customer If you are a Q2 digital banking customer, we should talk. Talk to our solutions team to learn more - https://lnkd.in/gZF93FyC Read full article - https://lnkd.in/g5BB9vkC #Fintech #Personalization #Q2 #Digitalbanking #Flybits #UserExperience #AI

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