The MATCH list, formerly called the Terminated Merchant File (TMF) is a list of businesses that have an unacceptable level of risk. MATCH stands for Member Alert to Control High risk merchants. It is very difficult for these businesses to get merchant accounts and payment processing services.
Banks, merchant services providers, and other financial institutions use this list as a way to identify businesses that they do not want to do business with.
If your business is on the MATCH list, and you currently have merchant services in good standing, you should not need to worry about losing them. But it could be very difficult for you to find new services in the future.
Most of the time, businesses find themselves on the MATCH list if they have too many chargebacks. Credit card companies sometimes place businesses on the list, but this is usually done by the business’s acquiring bank.
If your acquiring bank terminates your merchant account because you have too many chargebacks, Mastercard requires that they add your business to the MATCH list. Other reasons companies find themselves on the list include:
When a business is added to the MATCH list, it is assigned a reason code. It could be any of the following:
01 Account Data Compromise
02 Common Point of Purchase
03 Laundering
04 Excessive Chargebacks
05 Excessive Fraud
06 Unused
07 Fraud Conviction
08 Mastercard Questionable Merchant Audit Program
09 Bankruptcy/Liquidation/Insolvency
10 Violation of Standards
11 Merchant Collusion
12 PCI-DSS Non-compliance
13 Illegal Transactions
14 Identity Theft
Many businesses are placed on the MATCH list for reasons that are outside their control. And once you are on the list, it is very difficult to get off it.
What Happens When You are Placed on the MATCH list?
If you are on the MATCH list, your business will be labeled high-risk. It will be very difficult - if not impossible - to find a payment processor or merchant account provider that is willing to work with your business. Those that do will probably charge you high fees for their services.
The best way to avoid the MATCH list is to work with a payment processing company that will help you stay off it.
Many offer chargeback prevention services that help keep your chargeback ratios low.
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