For anyone working in ACH, the ACH Risk Management Handbook belongs not on your bookshelf, but on your desk. And with new transformative rules to fight credit-push fraud taking effect next year, the handbook is more important than ever in helping your bank or credit union prepare for them. 

For the first time, Receiving Depository Financial Institutions (RDFIs) will be required to monitor ACH transactions for fraud. “This is not something that RDFIs have had to do in the past. But now the Rules have changed,” said Jordan Bennett, Nacha Senior Director, Network Risk Management. 

That’s where the new 9th Edition of the ACH Risk Management Handbook comes in. 

“If you look into the Risk Management Handbook, and you look at these different ideas, there are things that you can implement to help catch fraud that’s happening at your receipt side, as well as your origination side,” said Bennett, who helped write the handbook. “It’s roughly 100 pages of fantastic information and things that you can actually put into practice on your day-to-day basis.”

What’s the difference between the handbook and the Nacha Operating Rules and Guidelines? 

“When you look at the Risk Management Handbook, it is dedicated and broken down into different chapters,” said Bennett. “It explains to you not only why the Rules are in there, but how you can meet those Rules,” and includes “actual scenarios that have happened, so you can look out for the same thing.” 

Bennett was joined on Nacha’s Payments SmartCast podcast by Brent Phillips, Senior Vice President of ACH Operations, Cadence Bank. Phillips said the Handbook belongs side-by-side with the latest copy of the Nacha Operating Rules and Guidelines. 

“I think both publications are an absolute must for anyone that plays a role within ACH,” said Phillips, whose staff has copies of each. “These are resources that are a very small investment that I can guarantee will save you money in the long run.” 

As the new credit-push fraud rules loom in 2026, Phillips believes “every financial institution should make a real concerted effort to do everything they can to be informed. Not only are you helping yourself, but you’re helping the network as a whole.” 

“Fraud doesn’t affect one financial institution,” said Phillips. “It affects us all as an industry.” 

Much more was discussed, and you can listen to the complete podcast below. 

The 9th Edition of the ACH Risk Management Handbook is available in the Nacha Store.