ACH is Beneficial for Americans and American Business

In California in the early 1970’s, several banks in conjunction with the regional Federal Reserve office in California began brainstorming to find a safe and secure way of transferring funds electronically between different financial institutions. Their hard work paid off with a new network labeled the Automated Clearing House coming online in 1972. Other institutions across the nation were motivated by the Californian’s success, forming their own regional Automated Clearing House networks to deal with paperless transactions in their individual states. The natural progression of these separate efforts came to its fruition in 1974, as a concerted effort of individual ACH organizations formed the National Automated Clearing House Association. The main goal of this association involving all regional ACH operations was to successfully combine them into a national network of automated clearing houses. In 1978, their goal was realized when financial institutions across the nation were securely electronically linked.

From its humble grass roots beginnings in the early 1970’s, the ACH has grown into the largest network of its kind in the world. It has truly revolutionized the way Americans and American businesses do business, providing all with the peace of mind that all transactions are made securely and safely between institutions. But what began as a way for banks to communicate with each other has bloomed into so much more. Now, practically all Americans rely upon ACH in fulfilling a financial need each and every month, if not daily. If a worker gets his or her paycheck directly deposited into a checking or savings account, this is done through an ACH transaction. April marks a time of increased ACH transactions, as it is the time of year Federal Tax Return monies are directly deposited into taxpayers’ accounts. Social Security benefits are also tendered through ACH transactions, as well as most all government benefits and payments. Many computer-savvy Americans have adopted the paperless option when paying their monthly bills, with most providers (utility, cable, mortgage providers, etc.) allowing for this time and paper saving feature. For online merchants, the ACH has proven essential in their acceptance of electronic payments and has proven a boon to online merchants in the United States. Nearly all electronic payment providers work with the ACH in order to provide protected gateways for the merchants they represent. Providers like New York’s Stradafee, effectively represent their customers by keeping up with all ACH developments, following guidelines implicitly so that their clients can keep their efforts focused on the cultivation and improvement of their individual businesses. The ACH and the network it provides has truly become an integral innovation contributing to smooth operations of commerce in America today.

Jennifer Loganathan is the President and CEO of Stradafee Limited. Stradafee is a leading international payments company based in New York. Stradafee is a retail and electronic payment provider specializing in merchant accounts. Please visit www.stradafee.com for more information.