What is billing and payments security and compliance?
Presenting bills and processing payments securely requires compliance with technical and operational standards to protect consumer data and privacy, as well as ensuring equity and fairness in billing practices.
Why should you care about billing and payments security and compliance?
Maintaining compliance with the payment processing security standards that apply to your industry is critical for avoiding data security breaches, ensuring consumer trust and protecting your business’ reputation. In some cases, failure to comply with security standards can lead to financial consequences and other penalties.
What do consumers think about billing and payments security?
With more and more consumers preferring to pay bills digitally, data and information security are increasingly important. The ACI Speedpay Trend Report reveals that consumer trust is at a high, with more than four in five consumers reporting that they are “somewhat or very confident” that their financial data is secure when paying bills. This confidence requires accountability and continued reinforcement of billing and payment security protocols, both to maintain positive consumer attitudes and to instill trust in those who are still unsure about the security of their payments data.
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PCI-DSS applies to any biller or merchant that accepts payments by card. It provides standards that guide how organizations should store payments card data.
PCI-DSS stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. It is a set of standards that helps ensure that all companies that accept credit card payments process, store and transmit card data securely. PCI-DSS is governed by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC), an independent body created by the leading payment card brands (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover and JCB). To establish and maintain PCI compliance, organizations that accept bill payments via card must meet 12 operational and technical requirements set out by the PCI SSC.
What are the PCI-DSS requirements?
The 12 requirements of PCI compliance are determined by the PCI SSC to ensure that payment card data stays secure. They include both technical requirements and operational guidelines.
THE 12 PCI-DSS REQUIREMENTS:
Install and maintain a firewall configuration
Do not use vendor-supplied defaults for passwords and other security features
Protect stored cardholder data
Protect data in transit by encrypting transmissions across open, public networks
Protect against malicious software and viruses
Develop and maintain secure systems
Restrict access to cardholder data
Authenticate access by giving each person with computer access a unique ID
Control physical access to cardholder data
Track and monitor access to cardholder data and network resources
Test security systems and processes
Maintain a security management policy for employees and contractors
Secure Payments and Solidify Consumer Trust
Learn more about the essential actions and insights needed to deliver world-class security.
What are the benefits of PCI compliance for organizations that accept bill payments via card?
PCI compliance reduces the risk of a data breach, protects customers, improves brand reputation and imparts a mindset of security.
What are the drawbacks of not being PCI compliant?
Failure to be PCI-DSS compliant can result in fines to the acquiring bank, which are usually passed on to the billing organization or merchant. For repeated violations, the card brands may revoke the biller or merchant’s ability to accept cards entirely. Any breach of consumer payment card data could result in a negative impact to your brand reputation, lost customers and financial consequences.
How can organizations ensure PCI-DSS compliance for bill payments?
Organizations that accept credit card bill payments can ensure PCI-DSS compliance by outsourcing their payment processing to an industry expert with a long track record of maintaining compliance, like ACI Worldwide. As PCI-DSS standards change over time, working with a company focused on payment processing and security can ensure billers maintain compliance while reducing the overall burden on the organization.
What is CFPB compliance?
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is a United States federal government agency that makes sure banks, lenders and other financial institutions treat consumers equitably and fairly. CFPB compliance standards apply to companies that provide financial services to consumers, including mortgages, consumer cards, lending and deposit accounts.
What are the requirements of CFPB compliance for mortgage and consumer lenders?
CFPB compliance standards vary by industry and generally cover credit reporting requirements, privacy notices, provision of equal credit opportunities and debt collection. Read more here.
What are the benefits of CFPB compliance?
CFPB compliance is essential to protect customers and ensure fairness and transparency for all consumers. Businesses and organizations that accept and process bill payments in industries covered by the CFPB — including mortgage and consumer finance lenders — benefit from increased consumer trust and confidence, as well as avoiding potential financial and legal consequences of non-compliance.
What are the drawbacks of not being CFPB compliant?
If a billing organization in a regulated industry fails to meet CFPB standards, they risk negative press and its associated impact on brand reputation, along with civil financial penalties and the filing of consent orders which formally require a non-compliant organization to address any violations.
How can lenders ensure that their billing processes are CFPB compliant?
CFPB compliance is complex, encompassing numerous legal and regulatory factors that apply to bill presentation and payment. To reduce the burden of compliance, choose a bill presentation and payments partner that can ensure CFPB compliance. Experts that focus on maintaining CFPB compliance will be best able to keep up with the latest rules and policies.
What is HIPAA compliance?
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) generally prohibits healthcare providers and healthcare businesses, called covered entities, from disclosing protected information to anyone other than a patient and the patient’s authorized representatives without their consent.
HIPAA rules and regulations fall under three main categories:
Privacy
Security
Breach notification
What are the benefits of HIPAA compliance for billers?
By complying with HIPAA, healthcare billers ensure the privacy and security of sensitive patient and health information.
What are the drawbacks of not being HIPAA compliant?
If healthcare billers fail to comply with HIPAA regulations, they face a loss of patient trust, damage to their brand reputation and financial penalties.
How can billers ensure HIPAA compliance?
Working with a HIPAA-compliant billing presentment and payments partner like ACI Worldwide, with experts that focus on maintaining HIPAA compliance, including keeping up with the latest rules, policies and security requirements, will ensure HIPAA compliance and reduce the burden of compliance on healthcare billers.
What other compliance standards apply to bill presentment and payments?
In addition to PCI-DSS, CFPB and HIPAA compliance, there are several other compliance standards that may apply to businesses and organizations that accept bill payments.
Bill presentment and payments security and compliance standards:
Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act
Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act is a United States federal law that helps protect investors from fraudulent financial reporting.
NACHA Certified
NACHA Certified is a voluntary accreditation program that covers core practices and corporate governance for ACH payment processing.
Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC)
Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) is an interagency government body that works with other governmental agencies to supervise financial institutions.
Card Association Rules
Card Association Rules are set out by card issuers (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, etc.) and govern a variety of operations including cardholder data security standards.
Anti-Money Laundering and Bank Secrecy Act (AML/BSA) Certification
Anti-Money Laundering and Bank Secrecy Act (AML/BSA) Certification is a program that administers an examination for adherence to standards applicable to regulated financial institutions and money service businesses.
Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements 18 (SSAE18)
Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements 18 (SSAE18) provides data center compliance standards that apply to electronic bill presentment and payment.
Various Federal and State Regulations
Various federal and state regulations apply to billers in different industries and locations.
How can businesses securely accept and process omni-channel bill payments?
In order to securely accept and process bill payments across all channels, including mobile, ACH and other payment methods, it’s essential to partner with an experienced provider like ACI Worldwide, with the expertise to maintain compliance and security across all payments channels and methods.
Download the ACI Speedpay Pulse Trend Report
Get the latest insights into how bill payments security is driving consumer attitudes and behaviors
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