Real-Time Collections
Meridian's Collections product enables high-growth banks and wallets to initiate ACH debits from US bank accounts — letting overseas customers pay US bills, mortgages, and loans without leaving home.
The Problem
Overseas Filipino Workers, South Asian diaspora communities, and migrants across Southeast Asia and Latin America maintain US bank accounts for payroll, savings, and bill payments. But when they move home, paying a US mortgage or utility bill requires logging into a US banking app — if they can even access it at all.
Meridian Collections solves this by enabling their home-country bank or digital wallet to debit the US account on their behalf. The customer authorizes once. Their trusted local institution handles everything else — recurring mortgage payments, insurance premiums, loan installments — directly from the US account, settled back home.
How It Works
The customer authorizes their overseas financial institution to initiate ACH debits from their US bank account on their behalf.
The partner financial institution initiates the ACH debit through the Meridian API, specifying account details, amount, and schedule.
Meridian collects the funds from the customer's US bank account via the ACH network, handling all NACHA rules and return codes.
Collected funds are settled to the financial institution for settlement to the bill payee or credit to the customer's local account.
Key Features
Pull payments from any US bank account. Meridian's direct ACH access lets overseas institutions initiate debits without a US banking presence.
Enable customers to pay US mortgages, utilities, insurance premiums, and loan payments directly from overseas.
Set up automated recurring debits — weekly, monthly, or custom — so customers never miss a mortgage payment or utility bill.
Webhook notifications on every debit event — initiated, cleared, settled, or returned — so your platform stays in sync.
Debit from any US bank or credit union. Customers aren't limited to a single bank — Collections works with the account they already have.
Built on NACHA rules, Regulation E consumer protections, and proper ACH authorization flows — fully compliant from day one.
Technical Details
Compliance
All debits processed in strict accordance with NACHA Operating Rules, including SEC codes, return windows, and file formats.
Full Regulation E consumer protections applied — error resolution rights, unauthorized transaction liability limits, and required disclosures.
Standardized ACH authorization language and record-keeping so institutions remain audit-ready at all times.
Automated return code processing with configurable retry logic and real-time notification to originating institutions.
Velocity rules, anomaly detection, and OFAC screening on every debit to protect customers and institutions alike.
Integration
A single REST API integration gives your institution the ability to pull funds from any US bank account. No US banking license, no correspondent relationship, no batch file headaches.
Set up one-time or recurring debits, receive webhook notifications on every status change, and manage the full debit lifecycle from your existing dashboard or via API.
View API documentationcurl -X POST https://api.meridian.com/v1/collections/debits \
-H "Authorization: Bearer sk_live_..." \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"account": {
"routing_number": "021000021",
"account_number": "9876543210",
"account_type": "checking"
},
"amount": 2450.00,
"currency": "USD",
"description": "Monthly mortgage payment - BDO",
"schedule": {
"type": "recurring",
"frequency": "monthly",
"start_date": "2026-05-01"
},
"institution_id": "inst_bdo_001",
"metadata": {
"client_ref": "OFW-MNL-48291"
}
}'
Use Case
Over 3 million Filipino workers in the United States maintain US bank accounts for payroll. Many have mortgages and financial obligations back home — but they also have US bills, loans, and property costs that need to be paid from that US account.
With Meridian Collections, GCash can allow a Filipino OFW to authorize a monthly debit from their Chase or BofA account — automatically paying their US mortgage, insurance, or car loan on schedule, without the customer ever needing to log into a US banking app.
3M+
Filipino OFWs in the US
$36B
Annual remittances
Auto
Recurring bill pay
Frequently Asked Questions
The institution submits a collection request through the Meridian API or Transaction Banking Portal, specifying the US account routing number, account number, amount, and schedule. Meridian initiates the ACH debit, handles compliance screening, and settles the collected funds to the institution.
Collections supports both one-time and recurring debits. Common use cases include mortgage payments, utility bills, insurance premiums, loan repayments, and subscription services — any scenario where an overseas institution needs to pull funds from a US bank account on behalf of a customer.
Yes. All debits require proper NACHA-compliant authorization from the US account holder. Meridian provides standard authorization workflows and handles the full authorization lifecycle, including consumer protection requirements under Regulation E.
Meridian provides real-time status updates on every debit. If a debit fails due to insufficient funds, a closed account, or a consumer dispute, the institution is notified immediately via webhook or through the portal. Meridian handles the full return and dispute process in compliance with NACHA rules.
Yes. Institutions can set up automated recurring debit schedules — monthly, bi-weekly, or custom intervals — through the API or portal. Meridian manages the full lifecycle: scheduling, initiation, status tracking, retry logic, and settlement.
No. That’s the core value of the Collections product. Meridian provides ACH debit origination as a service — the overseas institution does not need a US banking relationship, direct Fed access, or NACHA membership.
Standard ACH debits settle T+1. Same-day ACH is also available for faster settlement. Once funds are collected, they are settled to the institution’s Meridian account and can be held in USD or converted to local currency.
Schedule a conversation with our team. We'll walk you through the Collections product, discuss your target corridors, and show you how quickly you can go live.