Where does one go to find ACH rules? I am looking for something about ACH items being a derivative of numbers and that we shouldn't look at names to help find missing numbers on items that attempt to post incorrectly. Is there such a thing... and is this the right place to ask about this?????

I know there are manuals sold out there. You may also find John B's upcoming webinar helpful for some of these questions.

Your state ACH clearinghouse or NACHA.org might be good places to start.

Every financial institution that received ACH files should have a current copy of the ACH rules from NACHA. They are published annually, and they are only $33 a copy for ACH members ($55 for nonmembers). I paid more than that for college textbooks (and mine were etched on tablets). Purchase of the printed copy also gives you access to the online version (but you can't get the online version by itself).

From the 2005 Operating Rules - Subsection 4.1.4 Reliance on Account Numbers for Posting of Entries "If the account number and the name of the Receiver contained in an entry do not relate to the same account, the RDFI may rely solely on the account number contained in the entry for purposes of posting the entry to the Receiver's account."

However, the RDFI may return an entry with an R03 if the RDFI identifies a name/account number mismatch. But ARC and POP entries cannot be returned solely because they don't include a customer name in the entry data.

So you are saying that if someone uses the ACH information to find the correct account number - say a missing number - they are not going against regulation?

Transaction comes in with Individual Name = SMcFarland and account number = 123456789. Either account 123456789 doesn't exist and the transaction bounces or the institution's ACH filter software detects a name/account number mismatch.

If the institution believes the transaction should post to SMcFarland's account 987654321, it can post it there, with the caveat that if the transaction should have gone to SMacFirland's account 123456789 (note the subtle name spelling difference), the bank could have a problem.

If the "missing number" you refer to is a totally missing account number in the ACH record, I don't think you should do anything except ship it back. If you're referring to a missing digit in an account number (a frequent case, by the way, particularly on first transactions for direct deposit), I think you're on quite firm ground looking up the correct number and force-posting. But definitely send a NOC back, and enlist your customer's assistance in getting the Originator to clean up the input file for next time (if there is one).