Blogs - EPCOR Knowledge Community

Ask Hoot-E: 2025 Audit Retrospective: Notable Findings and Recommendations from the Field

By Hoot-E

Special thanks to @Deanna Jewell , AAP, APRP, Senior Analyst, Payments Risk & Compliance for helping me write this blog! EPCOR’s Advisory Services Team had a productive 2025, supporting financial institutions through audit engagements across core payment channels: ACH, Remote Deposit Capture (RDC) and wire transfers. While each payment channel presents its own unique operational and compliance risks, our audit results revealed consistent, recurring citations. The following insights, findings and observations are areas ...

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What 2025 SAR Data Reveals About Fraud Across Payment Systems

By Trevor Witchey

From the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), full 2025 Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) numbers have arrived, revealing notable patterns across ACH, wire transfers, check payment systems and credit and debit cards. Using collected SAR filings through 2014 by payment system, here’s the visual trend through 2025: When comparing 2024 to 2025 SAR filings per payment system: ACH: 316,786 total filings, up 8.3% Wire Transfers: 130,382 total filings, up 7.4% Checks: 475,878 total filings, down 8.7% Credit and Debit Cards: 316,786 total filings, up 6.2% ...

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Instant Payments, Evolving ACH Rules and What’s Next: Why You Can’t Miss Payment Systems Update

By Sharon Hallmark

The payments ecosystem isn’t just changing, it’s accelerating rapidly. From instant payment rails scaling to handle multi-million-dollar transactions to the ACH Rules continuing to evolve to address fraud, sanctions and international processing, financial institutions are facing a pivotal moment. Payment Systems Update is designed to help you stay ahead of the curve with actionable insights, regulatory clarity and peer-driven perspectives. This year’s agenda features two timely, high-impact sessions that address the operational, compliance and strategic challenges payments professionals face today: Instant Payments in Motion: RTP ® & ...

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Nacha Announces 2026-2027 Advisory Committees

By Hoot-E

Nacha’s Payments Innovation Alliance is kicking off 2026 with a fresh lineup of leaders ready to shape the future of payments. Comprised of elected members across five advisory committees, this group brings a mix of expertise, vision and real-world experience to help guide the Alliance and its members through the rapidly evolving payments landscape. This year, we’re especially proud to spotlight EPCOR’s very own Brian Dao, AAP, Vice President of Member Engagement, serving on the Emerging Payments Advisory Committee and Matthew Wade, AAP, AFPP, APRP, CPA, Payments, Risk & Compliance Advisor on the Risk, Security & Regulatory Payments Advisory Committee. ...

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From Access to Impact: The Next Phase of Instant Payments for Financial Institutions

By Sharon Hallmark

Instant payments in the U.S. are entering a new phase of maturity. According to the 2025 Instant Payments Adoption Outlook , a quantitative study conducted by the U.S. Faster Payments Council (FPC) in collaboration with Federal Reserve Financial Services, many financial institutions now have the ability to receive instant payments, shifting the focus from access to impact: how instant payments create meaningful value for clients, businesses and the institutions that serve them. The study suggests that success in this next phase will be driven less by speed alone and more by relevance, trust and thoughtful execution. Meaningful Use Cases Drive ...

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Guest Blog: Building a Fraud Response Plan

By Amelia Bertness

Business units often focus on their core responsibilities, bringing specialized expertise to their organization. While this can make day-to-day operations efficient, it can create gaps when responding to fraud incidents. Without coordination, responses can be slow, inconsistent or ineffective, leaving an organization vulnerable. An effective Fraud Response Plan relies on collaboration and clear communication . Organizations that foster strong collaboration across all business units can act swiftly to contain and resolve fraud incidents together. Define the Scenarios in Scope of the Plan Scenarios should consider the type ...

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Romance Scams: 🌹 Roses Are Red, Flags Are Too 🚩

By Keldon Bowling

Think high-end chocolates and dozen-rose bouquets are hard on your wallet? Today’s heartbreak comes with a much steeper price tag. Romance scams are on the rise, and the losses aren’t small change. According to the Better Business Bureau , romance schemes surged in 2024, generating tens of thousands of reports and hundreds of millions in losses—a trend continuing into 2026 as scammers exploit social media, dating apps and generative AI, with 2025 data from Norton showing romance/friendship scams carried some of the highest financial losses among reported scam types and AI-enabled dating fraud attacks increasing sharply. What is a Romance ...

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Are You Making These Common Compliance Mistakes? Top ACH Violations and How to Avoid Them

By Brandie Thacker

EPCOR is in a unique position to give you a glimpse into top ACH compliance issues given the volume of ACH audits and risk assessments we conduct each year, coupled with our direct membership with Nacha. Not only can we see where our members might be stumbling, but Nacha also shares aggregate data and themes with us to help us help you improve your ACH practices. Upon reviewing the 2025 data, we have identified the most problematic issues that have resulted in enforcement actions and fines. The message is clear: non-compliance has a cost, and that cost is rising to deter poor practices. Here are the top compliance hotspots your institution needs to be watching. ...

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The Risks of Crypto ATMs

By Trevor Witchey

Crypto ATMs have moved from a niche curiosity to a more mainstream presence since the first machine was installed in a Vancouver coffee shop in 2013 . Over time, they’ve become more widely available, particularly in the United States, which now hosts a large share of these machines. While the technology itself isn’t new, the rapid expansion and increased use of crypto ATMs in recent years have drawn greater attention — especially as fraudsters increasingly exploit these machines for scams. How does a crypto ATM work? A crypto ATM is designed to convert physical cash (or sometimes a debit card transaction) into cryptocurrency or vice ...

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Meet Ryan Chilton

By Hoot-E

We are thrilled to announce a new addition to our flock! @Ryan Chilton has joined EPCOR as our Controller in the Finance Department. Ryan lives in Annapolis, MO, and has 17 years of experience in accounting and finance roles across multiple industries, including six years with a financial institution. Ryan also holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Missouri State University. He shared, “I’m excited to learn about the payments world and take on a leadership role within the finance team.” Regarding his new position, Ryan says, “I’m most looking forward to meeting all my new coworkers and contributing to EPCOR’s mission. I’m eager to dive into payments ...

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Congrats to our 62 New AAPs! 🥳

By Hoot-E

We recently welcomed 62 new Accredited ACH Professionals (AAP) into the EPCOR family. Congratulations to the following: Maritza Aguilar, AAP of Equity Bank Lindsey Albright, AAP of Banterra Bank Jodi Bowers, AAP of TBO Bank Brad Bristow, AAP of Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Emily Campbell, AAP of FCB Banks Angelique Cartwright, AAP of Access Bank Gary Claybrook, AAP, NCP of Field and Main Elliott Coleman, AAP of Community Financial Services Bank Jessica Colley, AAP of First National Bank & Trust Lauren Craig, AAP of Arkansas Federal Credit Union Brittani Damen, AAP of Grand Savings Bank Ryan DeMayo, AAP ...

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My Vision for 2026? It’s All About Connection.

By Brandie Thacker

Happy New Year, Everyone! Every January, I get that fresh-start feeling. You know the one—a mix of excitement for what’s ahead and a frantic search for where I last put my coffee. After 18 years with this amazing association, that feeling never gets old. As I was thinking about my goals for 2026, one idea kept coming back to me: thoughtful connection. This year, my focus is all about meeting you—our members—exactly where you are, whether that’s geographically, strategically or somewhere in between. So, What Does That Look Like? First, EPCOR is doubling down on the support and education you’ve told us you need. Fraud is a topic that keeps ...

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Ask Hoot-E: Building Stronger ODFI Risk Programs

By Hoot-E

Special thanks to @Luke Benning , AAP, Manager, Audit Services for helping me write this blog! With 2026 before us, the spirit of self-improvement is in the air. Beyond personal goals like learning a new language or running a marathon, now is the perfect time to set a strategic resolution for your organization, such as strengthening your ODFI Risk Management program. Here’s a guide to essential practices for fostering strong Originator partnerships and achieving lasting results. Strengthening the Core of ACH: The ...

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National Human Trafficking Prevention Month

By Keldon Bowling

National Human Trafficking Prevention Month January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. It’s a key time for us all to educate ourselves about human trafficking and, crucially, to learn to spot the signs of trafficking. It is also a time for us take these messages to our workplaces, our schools, our representatives and everywhere else. Human Trafficking: What You Should Know Human trafficking is one of the world’s most devastating and hidden crimes. Often referred to as modern-day slavery, it involves the use of force, fraud or coercion to exploit people for labor or sex. And yes, it happens not just overseas but in neighborhoods ...

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Federal Reserve’s RFI on the Future of the Federal Reserve Banks’ Check Services

By Shelly Sipple

On December 9, 2025, the Federal Reserve Board of Governors issued a Request for Information (RFI) to gather feedback on the future of the Reserve Banks’ check services. The RFI seeks input on two key areas: (1) Potential actions regarding the Reserve Banks’ check operations and (2) the broader continued use of checks. We would appreciate your feedback on this important issue, which you can share by completing a 23-question survey by January 21. Your responses will help shape our comment letter, which we will submit to the Federal Reserve Board on behalf of our membership. Before taking the survey, you may want to review the ...

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Wishing Christine Harris a Happy Retirement! 🎉

By Stephanie Mareski

I’ve got some bittersweet news to share, the amazing Christine Harris, AAP, APRP, NCP, Senior Manager, Member Support is retiring from EPCOR on December 31, 2025, after 15 incredible years with us! Christine has been a huge part of EPCOR’s success, always going above and beyond to support our members. Her knowledge and expertise have been a huge asset, and we’re going to greatly miss her. I know many of you have your own Christine stories—maybe she helped you untangle a tricky Rules question, gave you ACH origination advice or walked you through an ACH raw file like it was a stroll in the park. If you’d like to share ...

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Join us in Welcoming our New Members! 🥳

By Hoot-E

We have welcomed an additional five new member organizations into the EPCOR family! Please join us in welcoming the following: Erie Community Federal Credit Union in Sandusky, OH Joplin Metro Credit Union in Joplin, MO Legends West Bank in Nlewellen , NE PayRecs in St. Louis, MO Ramp Business Corp in New York, NY

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Meet Ashley Franks

By Hoot-E

We’re excited to announce that @Ashley Franks has joined our flock! Ashley lives in Nixa, MO, just outside of Springfield. She comes to EPCOR with a background in franchise development, where she began in lead qualification and worked her way up to Director of Franchise Development. While payments is a new industry for her, Ashley is eager to bring her expertise in process development to the team. Regarding her new role at EPCOR, Ashley shares, “I’m thrilled to be learning a new industry and contributing to a team that values collaboration, innovation and exceptional member service.” What drew Ashley to EPCOR was the culture, which ...

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Leveraging Technology to Bring the Personal Touch Back to Your Client Payment Portfolio

By Brandie Thacker

The world of banking is changing at lightning speed, especially when it comes to how our clients pay for transactions. Gone are the days when a simple checking account and a debit card were enough. Today's clients expect seamless, instant and personalized experiences, all while feeling that their financial institution understands their individual needs. For banking staff, this means modernizing our approach to client payments, not by sacrificing the personal touch, but by enhancing it with cutting-edge technology. The pandemic supercharged the shift to digital-first behaviors and innovative Fintechs have introduced new ways to pay, like real-time ...

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