What Is The Match List?

The MATCH list (Member Alert to Control High-risk system) or Terminated Merchant File (TMF) is system utilized by MasterCard to identify merchants who have had their accounts terminated by the merchant account processor.

If you have ever applied for a merchant account, or are going to in the future, the bank will consult the TMF to see if you have ever had a merchant account terminated. If you have had a terminated merchant account in the past, the bank will most likely see you as an unnecessary credit risk. The chances are very low of getting approved if your name is on this list.

Why Would They Put Me on The List?

It’s not actually that difficult to get on the MATCH list, but unfortunately it is difficult to get your name removed. Sometimes as little as an accounting error, even on the banks end, can land you on the list. The most common ways people end up on this list include: credit card fraud, friendly fraud, factoring, excessive charge-backs, violating the merchant agreement or owing money to a bank or processor.

One of the quickest ways to get your name on the list is closing your merchant account and not paying your last statement. Even a simple oversight can become a costly error, but this can also be fixed fairly easily by just paying off your debt with your former processor.

How to Remove Your Name

How easy or hard it is to get your name off of the TMF list depends on why your name is on it in the first place. If you committed fraud for instance, chances are you will not be able to get off the list. If, as stated above, a simple oversight landed you on the list, your name may be cleared off of the list in as little as a week.

If for any reason you believe your name or business name were added to the list in error, you must contact the acquirer that added it, because only the company that added you to the list can request a deletion or change to the information.

If you find you are on the list for high charge-back ratio, usually the only thing that will get you off the list is time. Your bank needs to be confident that it will not have unpaid bills resulting from merchants former customer charge-backs.