EPCOR Payments Conference – Fall 2025 hit all the right notes, bringing together nearly 300 payments professionals and industry experts for three days of high-energy education, networking and insights into the latest trends shaping the payments landscape. From preconference workshops to deep-dive panels and live demonstrations, our members with actionable strategies, amplified skills and fresh inspiration.
Preconference Workshops Set the Stage
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Paymentspalooza kicked off with two preconference workshops. ACH Reclamations and Garnishments, led by Shelly Sipple, AAP, AFPP, APRP, NCP (EPCOR) provided attendees with clarity on post death payments, ACH Rules liability and exemptions for garnishments.
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Meanwhile, Navigating Reg E with Emily Nelson, AAP, AFPP, APRP, NCP (EPCOR) guided attendees through the nuances of Regulation E, providing practical exercises to apply Reg E in ACH and debit card environments. Both workshops offered small group interaction and hands on learning.
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Opening Remarks and Industry Insights
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Brandie Thacker, AAP, CAE, President & CEO, and James Carrick, Vice President of Education, welcomed participants and set the stage for a conference filled with knowledge and collaboration. The first general session, Payments Industry Update: A Fireside Chat, featured Lance Wagner (Federal Reserve), Michael Herd (Nacha) and Steve Douglass (The Clearing House). Attendees gained a comprehensive view of payments trends, compliance challenges and fraud mitigation strategies from industry leaders.
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Day One: Breakout Highlights
Attendees were able to make their own playlist and explore multiple breakout sessions, tailored to their interests and professional needs.
| Michael Herd (Nacha) presented Pay by Bank: Opportunities for Open Banking and ACH Payments, sharing research on adoption trends and associated risks. |
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Trevor Witchey, AAP, APRP, NCP (EPCOR) led The Latest in Check Fraud Schemes, Responses and Mitigation Strategies, covering emerging threats and best practices for addressing check fraud in an increasingly digital-first environment. |
| Michael Timoney’s (Federal Reserve Financial Services) Remote Authentication Fraud session highlighted new fraud vectors in mobile and digital payments and offered guidance for mitigating these risks. |
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For those looking to see innovation in action, See Instant Payments in Action with QR Codes, led by Sarah Hoisington (Matera), Keith Riddle (Payfinia) and Peter Tapling, APRP (PTap Advisory, LLC), offered a live demonstration of real-time transfers using the U.S. QR Code standard. The session illustrated how instant payments can improve customer and member experiences and operational efficiency. |
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The day ended with the playful yet insightful Payments Beer Nerds Happy Hour, leading into an unforgettable Gala Reception! Attendees mingled, laughed and celebrated a full day of learning while enjoying caricature sketches and taking selfies with our mascot, Hoot-E, at the mobile photo booth. The evening’s warm, engaging atmosphere made it the perfect finale for Day one!
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Day Two: Education and Innovation
Day two opened with Kevin Miyamoto, Co-founder of Identifee, accepting our 2025 Payments Innovation Award on behalf of Identifee during the opening comments. The award was presented by Brandie Thacker, AAP, CAE, EPCOR’s President & CEO, in recognition of Identifee’s forward-thinking approach to advancing payments innovation through their AI platform, IDA. IDA helps payments professionals navigate ACH Rules in seconds while streamlining manual tasks — boosting productivity and compliance for financial institutions. Read the full press release here.
Following opening comments, John Min (Monex) provided an economic outlook session, What’s Next with the Economy and the Effect on Your Financial Institution, helping participants understand macroeconomic trends and their impact on payments operations.
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Breakout sessions included ACH Rules Update and Initiatives presented by Emily Nelson, AAP, APRP, AFPP, NCP (EPCOR); Authentication and Authority in Online Payments led by Scott Jones (Adams and Reese LLC) and Immediate Payments: Elevating Your Financial Institution with Send presented by Suzanne Perry (Corporate One Federal Credit Union). These sessions provided attendees with practical knowledge on ACH compliance, digital authentication and instant payment capabilities.
Sessions such as AI-Powered Treasury: How Community Banks Are Winning with Smart Automation with Will Grace (DeNovo Treasury) and Kevin Miyamoto (Identifee), and Turning Instant Payments into Business Value with Chris Banks (Finzly) showcased how our members can harness AI, technology and instant payment networks to boost efficiency and unlock new revenue opportunities.
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Mike Burke (SHAZAM) presented It’s Not Cyber, It’s Social and delivered an engaging exploration of social engineering risks and prevention strategies, while Quantum-Safe: Protecting Payments in the Quantum Era with Peter Tapling (PTap Advisory, LLC) and Nanci McKenzie (Capital One) offered a forward-looking perspective on safeguarding financial operations against emerging technological threats.
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Day Three: Focus on Fraud and Forward-Looking Payments
The final day emphasized fraud mitigation and future payments trends.
Caroline Cypriano (JJ4tech), Mike Burke (SHAZAM) and Scott Jones (Adams and Reese LLP) guided participants through Fraud Trends and Mitigation: A Panel Discussion, focusing on evolving threats and collaborative approaches to risk management.
Other sessions, such as Used and Abused Check Adjustments with Trevor Witchey (EPCOR), The Perfect Storm for Fraudsters with Mike Burke (SHAZAM) and Utilizing AI to Improve Operations and Risk Management with Kevin Miyamoto (Identifee) explored practical strategies for leveraging technology and AI to strengthen institutional controls and enhance risk management across financial operations.
Peter Davey’s (PaymentsJedi Advisory) session, Embedded Banking & Payments: Meeting Your Client Where They Are, illustrated the importance of integrating payment experiences within everyday applications to meet evolving consumer and business expectations.
The conference concluded with the forward-looking panel, What’s Next in Payments?, featuring Kevin Miyamoto (Identifee), Caroline Cypriano (JJ4tech) and Peter Davey (PaymentsJedi Advisory) exploring AI, security, open banking, digital trends and regulations shaping the future of payments.
EPCOR Payments Conference – Fall 2025 rocked the payments world, mixing headline-worthy education, hands-on jam sessions and chat-topping networking experiences, providing our members with skills, insights and strategies they could take away to hit all the right notes in a fast-changing payments landscape.
We sincerely thank our incredible speakers, sponsors, exhibitors and Conference Planning Committee members for making this event an unforgettable experience. Your dedication and expertise brought the conference to life and created lasting memories for all who attended. Be sure to visit our Facebook and Instagram pages for photos and highlights from the conference!
Missed us in Overland Park? EPCOR Payments Conference – Virtual 2025 brings the full Paymentspalooza experience for you to enjoy from the comfort of your office! Join industry experts LIVE, interact in real time and access vital on-demand content before and after the event at no extra cost. Featuring multiple education tracks headlining the latest and upcoming advancements in payments, get ready for back-stage-level networking, dynamic sessions and a mosh pit of ideas!
In the meantime, mark your calendar for next year’s EPCOR Payments Conferences! We’ll kick things off with our spring conference from April 13–15, 2026 at the Sheraton Indianapolis Hotel at Keystone Crossing, and we’ll hit the main stage again for our fall conference November 2–4 at the Sheraton Overland Park Hotel.
We can’t wait to ROCK OUT with you again! 🎶