ACH Payments Specialist II

ACH Payments Specialist II

The ACH Payments Specialist II is responsible for the accurate, timely, and compliant processing of ACH and related electronic payment activity, including file monitoring, complex exception processing, returns, disputes, settlements, fraud monitoring, reconciliations, and customer and internal support.

This role requires strong knowledge of Nacha Operating Rules, banking regulations, OFAC requirements, internal procedures, and risk-based controls, with the ability to meet processing deadlines, independently research and escalate issues, support audit readiness, and collaborate across teams.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Monitor and process ACH activity in accordance with established processing windows, Bank procedures, Nacha Operating Rules, OFAC requirements, and applicable regulatory guidance.
• Review ACH files, batches, returns, notifications of change, disputes, stop payments, non-post items, overdraft exceptions, and other complex exception activity; independently research and resolve discrepancies accurately and within required time frames.
• Perform daily ACH Federal Reserve settlement balancing, including review of FIS reports for receiving and origination activity; research, document, and clear differences timely.
• Review ACH OFAC reports and other sanctions-related alerts according to established procedures and deadlines.
• Monitor fraud and suspicious activity reports, including ACH, debit card, external transfer, online banking, and Verafin alerts; identify trends, document findings, recommend next steps, and escalate concerns promptly to management, BSA/AML, Risk, or Compliance as appropriate.
• Review external transfer setup and activity to identify potential fraud, confirm customer eligibility, and ensure controls are followed.
• Process ACH disputes, written statements of unauthorized debit, stop-payment requests, and related customer correspondence in accordance with regulatory and Bank requirements.
• Review and process death notifications received through Fedline Web and government reclamations timely to mitigate loss exposure.
• Perform daily ATM settlement functions and prepare posting documentation for ATM discrepancies reported by branches.
• Prepare, review, and maintain assigned general ledger account reconciliations; research and resolve outstanding items by required deadlines.
• Support accurate documentation, audit readiness, record retention, and procedure maintenance for ACH and payment operations processes, including updates to procedures and job aids as needed.
• Assist with testing, validation, and implementation of system changes, product updates, service enhancements, and department projects with limited supervision.
• Identify and recommend opportunities to improve controls, automate manual work, streamline processing, reduce risk, and strengthen the customer and employee experience.
• Provide timely, professional support and procedural guidance to internal and external customers regarding ACH transactions, exceptions, online banking issues, external transfers, account activity, and related payment inquiries.
• Partner with Deposit Operations, BSA/AML, Risk, Compliance, Treasury Management, Retail, Contact Center, and technology partners to resolve escalated issues and support effective payment operations.
• Serve as a backup for other Deposit Operations functions as needed and maintain cross-training to support business continuity.
• Complete all internal Company training as assigned and required.
• Adhere to the Company's privacy, information security, data protection, and record retention policies, including safeguarding non-public personal information and sensitive Bank data.
• Demonstrate behaviors that support and strengthen the Company's culture, including accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and service excellence.

Consider this description to be the foundation of your job, not its boundaries. Expect to participate in internal and external training sessions and activities not described here which enhance the quality of service to the client.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience

• Associate's degree or equivalent combination of education and progressively responsible relevant banking, deposit operations, ACH, electronic payments, or financial services experience.
• Minimum of three (3) years of banking operations experience preferred, including direct ACH, deposit operations, electronic payments, treasury management support, or related back-office processing experience.
• Working knowledge of Nacha Operating Rules, ACH file processing, returns, disputes, reclamations, notifications of change, stop payments, complex exceptions, and related regulatory…