Question of the Week: ACH - Relying on Account Number

Yes. Under Operating Rule 3.1.2, an RDFI receiving an ACH entry may rely solely on the account number to post an ACH entry. Operating Rule 3.1.2 states:  

“An RDFI may rely solely on the account number contained in an Entry for the purpose of posting the Entry to a Receiver’s account, regardless of whether the name of the Receiver in the Entry matches the name associated with the account number in the Entry.” 

The Operating Rules do not require a financial institution to examine each entry and verify the person named in the entry is an owner of the account. Operating Rule 3.1.2 allows the financial institution to rely solely on the account number for the purpose of posting an ACH entry to the account.