NASHVILLE, Tennessee—Same Day ACH might have started out like a tuxedo, but today it’s more like a pair of comfortable jeans.

“We don’t need special occasions” to use Same Day ACH, said Joe W. Hussey, Managing Director at J.P. Morgan and Chair of the Nacha Board of Directors.

“What we’ve seen with Same Day ACH is it’s gone from, ‘Oh, no, a payment didn’t go out. I need an alternative. Let’s use Same Day ACH.’ We’ve transitioned that to, ‘As part of my normal practice now, I use it for a use case that I’ve already predetermined.’” 

Now in its sixth year, Same Day ACH has seen higher payment limits as well as later and more frequent settlement times. Hussey said he’s often asked about the next step, but he’s not rushing to answer.

“We really want to make sure that the next step in Same Day ACH is both administratively doable and we want to make sure we’re hitting up all of the use cases that are most important [to users],” said Hussey. 

Hussey joined Jane Larimer, Nacha President and CEO, at the May 2 opening general session of Smarter Faster Payments 2022. Among the other topics they discussed was the importance of risk management, which Larimer called “the foundation” of the ACH Network, stressing how important it is to “get it right.” Hussey agreed, noting that a solid risk management structure is vital for a strong ACH Network.

Larimer also used the session to announce a major enhancement to the Faster Payments Professional certificate program, which Nacha and the Payments Associations launched last year. 

“We are partnering with the Faster Payments Council to be a part of that program. The Faster Payments Professional certificate program will become the Faster Payments Professional accreditation program,” said Larimer. “We couldn’t be more delighted to be able to work with not only the Payments Associations but the FPC.”