New Positive Pay

Positive Pay is a fraud prevention tool which can be added to your Cash Management access that monitors debits that post your accounts.  There are two components:

• Check Positive Pay compares those posted items to an issued check register that you upload to determine if the item is safe to “pay”. 
• ACH Positive Pay monitors electronic debits that post by comparing them to a list of rules you create based on the details of the ACH originators.

Posted items that do not match your check register or ACH rules are kicked out as exceptions to review. You are able to review the exceptions and make pay or return decisions between the hours of 5a-2p M-F through your Cash Management Access.

Yes! We encourage all businesses to take advantage of the fraud protection that Positive Pay offers. Contact our Business Services department today to secure your accounts! 

Yes! Upload items anytime of the day and as many times as needed. If an item is already posted to the account, the item would need to be uploaded before 8pm in order for the information to be available for compare during business day processing. 

Yes! If you notice that a check has memo posted to your account (showing as a pending transaction), you can upload the issued check information for that item any time before 8pm for the check to be reviewed in Payee Match. If the information is not uploaded before 8pm, it may appear as a “Paid No Issue” exception after business day processing.

Yes! This is referred to as Reverse Positive Pay. We can set up a transaction filter on the account to kick every check or ACH debit out as an exception for review. This allows you upload your check information in order for United Bank personnel to verify any checks that are presented in-house while still having the ability to review every debit that posts. 

Yes! You can opt into text or email notifications to be sent two hours before the cutoff time (2pm) if exceptions have not been worked. Reminder notifications will not be sent on holidays or non business days.

Yes! You can edit the information of an uploaded item if it is still in the “issued” status. You can also void or delete an item if the check is no longer being sent to the payee. 

Yes! User permissions can be customized to fit your business’s responsibility structure. If you want certain users to have limited access to Positive Pay, such as only exception processing or only uploading issued items, you can reach out to a Business Services Specialist and they can assist you in allocating responsibility amongst your users. 

Yes, we can adjust each user’s account access. For example, if you have multiple business entities with different employees for each, we can make sure each user only sees and has the ability to work positive pay for the appropriate accounts. 

Yes, you are able to adjust decisions on a worked exception as long as it is before the 2pm cutoff. All worked exceptions will remain visible in the “Decisioned” tab within Positive Pay until the 2pm cutoff.  

No! Any exception items that appear through the weekend or on a holiday listed below will carry over to the following banking day where normal processing deadlines will apply. 

• New Year’s Day (January 1)*
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Presidents’ Day
• Memorial Day
• Juneteenth (June 19)*
• Independence Day (July 4)*
• Labor Day
• Columbus Day
• Veterans Day (November 11)*
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Eve Day (Subject to early closure)
• Christmas Day (December 25)*
• Weekends (Saturdays and Sundays)

It usually takes our team 1-3 banking days from the time paperwork is signed to activate Positive Pay on your account. We train any users who will be working the service and provide resources to help you get the most out of the service! 

False exceptions occur when an item that is safe to pay is presented as an exception because there was either no information uploaded, or the information was different or incomplete than what was printed on the check.

Make sure you always upload any issued checks you send out to prevent “Not issued” exceptions.

For “Payee Mismatch” exceptions, you can review the information displayed in the Positive Pay “Quick Exception Processing” page to learn and adjust your future issued checks accordingly. You can also refer to the “Best Tips and Practices” guide to ensure that your check formatting will yield a more confident read in Payee Match. 

You should always return items that you notice as different than what you issued. You are able to view the front and back image of all exception items to ensure that the information captured represents the payee for which you issued the item. When in doubt, you can return the item and communicate with the payee so that they may anticipate another check.

If a payee brings a check from a Positive Pay account to be negotiated by one of our in-branch tellers, at an ITM, or via mobile deposit, and that check cannot be verified as issued in your Positive Pay Check register, United Bank will be unable to negotiate the item. The payee will be advised to reach out to you, the payor, so that the check may be added to the register for processing.