NACHA has approved several new rules designed to improve the efficiency and compliance of International ACH Transactions. The rules will have varying effective dates beginning in March 2026.

IAT Contact Registration

One new rule requires U.S. financial institutions to register IAT-specific contacts in NACHA’s ACH Contact Registry. The main change is the addition of IAT handling contacts to the registry, which should help speed the resolution of IAT-related issues by providing clear points of contact. Banks were previously only required to register general ACH operations and fraud/risk contacts in the ACH Contact Registry.

Click here for the new rule on NACHA’s website.

Enhanced Sanctions Screening Data

This rule will designate an optional field to include the date of birth of a natural person, sender, or receiver of an IAT entry, to strengthen sanctions screening. Banks will need to update policies and procedures related to the collection of birth dates, where appropriate, and update systems and processes to ensure they are capable of collecting and receiving this new data.

Click here for the new rule on NACHA’s website.

New Return Reason Code for Sanctions Issues

Another rule sets a new return reason code (R90) to support an RDFI’s decision to return an entry in compliance with sanctions obligations. Depository institutions will need to implement the new return reason code and ensure their systems, processes, and procedures are updated and capable of originating, receiving, interpreting, and reporting the code to originating customers. Additionally, banks will need to adjust their current descriptions for code R16.

Click here for the new rule on NACHA’s website.

Broadened Definition of IAT

This new rule expands existing references to banks or financial institutions to include a generic reference to a financial agency. It incorporates an “other” option in the types of codes used to classify the financial agency’s identification number. Banks may need to review how they identify IATs to ensure proper classification and compliance.

Click here for the new rule on NACHA’s website.

For the latest implementation schedule, click here.

CCI will continue to monitor NACHA’s updates and provide additional guidance as new implementation details are released. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions. You can reach us at inquiries@completecompli.com.

 

Victoria Peterson, CCBCO