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Insights and Expertise

StreetSmarts SM

Turn MATCH into momentum

By Allen Kopelman 5. Work with a high-risk payment processor experi-
Nationwide Payment Systems Inc. enced in MATCH list cases.
6. Introduce your merchant to qualified legal counsel
ow many deals have you lost to the dread- when necessary.
ed MATCH list? Member Alert to Control
High-Risk Merchants, also known as the MLSs and payments industry attorneys know more about
H Terminated Merchant File (TMF), is a data- card brand compliance issues than most merchants. As
base managed by Mastercard and used by Visa that flags advocates, we can try to convince a payment processor
merchants whose accounts have been terminated for PCI or acquiring bank that holds full liability to grant an
non-compliance and other serious violations. exception.

Most business owners don't know they've been "TMF'd" Fraud, illegal products
until their new merchant app is declined or their account Bryce Van De Moere, associate attorney at Global Legal
is shut down. They can ask their processor or acquiring
bank for a reason code and try to prove their listing was Law Firm, appeared on a May 16, 2025, episode of B2B
Vault. He noted that merchants who can't navigate banks
an error or their issue has been resolved. These challenges
are hard to win. and processors have a higher risk of failing. One of his
clients, for example, stopped selling a weight loss drug
immediately when the FDA banned it but was placed
A merchant can remain in TMF limbo for 5 years unless on the MATCH list twice. Our discussion is available at
the acquiring bank that placed them on the list agrees to
remove them, which hardly ever happens. That brings me https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGtGKYMpkUM.
to the million-dollar question: Do you walk away from a
TMF merchant or try to help them win? Some banks will ask a merchant to remove a banned
product; others will MATCH-list that merchant. Some
Be an advocate banks will restore accounts if they deem an ID theft or
chargeback incident was out of a merchant's control; others
Sometimes it pays to play the long game even when there's won't approve or reinstate TMF accounts for any reason.
no immediate payoff. Merchant level salespeople (MLSs) Outlier banks that accept the risk may give merchants a
can earn respect, trust and even referrals by addressing second chance.
a TMF issue. Instead of saying you're sorry and walking
away, why not try these five simple steps? Business owners whose identities are stolen need to
1. Have your merchant contact the processor that forward police reports to the credit reporting agencies to
placed the merchant on the list. avoid having their merchant accounts shut off. One of my
2. Email Mastercard at matchbusinessowner@master- merchants didn't want the police involved, so I couldn't
help them. Another merchant gave the bank a police
card.com for more details. report and explanation and received a new merchant
3. Determine the reason code. account shortly afterward.
4. Resolve the issue if possible.
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