Accreditation Programs

We can help you attain or renew your Accredited ACH Professional (AAP), Accredited Payments Risk Professional (APRP) or National Check Professionals (NCP) designations. We provide a variety of preparation based training sessions including webinars, teleseminars, and classroom sessions. We provide series education for each accreditation that include webinars, workshops and more, or you can get refreshers and attend the events ala carte. Need to earn continuing education credits? We offer multiple opportunities throughout the year, check out the education schedule to see what works for you.

Accredited ACH Professional (AAP) designation is obtained by passing a nationally administered exam given annually in October. The AAP exam covers a wide range of ACH information including; knowledge of the ACH Network and comparative payment systems; knowledge of ACH rules and regulations; technical ACH skills, including operational requirements; understanding of ACH products and applications; risk management and other policy issues; marketing ACH services; management of electronic payment services; Regulation E and other federal requirements. Learn More about acquiring and maintain your AAP

Why Become Certified?

  • An Accredited ACH Professional (AAP®) designation recognizes professionals who have successfully proven a certain level of understanding of the current ACH payments landscape. This sets you apart by:
  • Recognizing your knowledge and comprehension of ACH payments
  • Recognizing you as a leader in your field
  • Strengthening your professional credibility
  • Demonstrating your commitment to customer service
  • Demonstrating your commitment to stay on the leading edge of industry trends and topics of interest
  • Positioning you for professional advancement

Why Have Your Employees Certified?

  • The Accredited ACH Professional certification program enhances the credibility of your team and gives you a competitive advantage in a constantly changing and challenging environment with:
  • Improved customer service
  • Improved audit performance
  • Enhanced understanding of industry products, trends, and practices
  • Increased understanding of how and why ACH payments continue to provide value for your customers
  • Increased industry leaders
  • An industry-recognized opportunity for employee professional development and advancement

UMACHA's Exam Prep

UMACHA will help you attain the Accredited ACH Professional (AAP) designation. Many financial institutions and companies want staff to become AAPs to show their commitment to having expert ACH knowledge so that they may ensure safe and efficient processing of customer's electronic payments. AAPs demonstrate experience and expertise in ACH operations, product management and marketing strategies.

UMACHA provides a variety of preparation training sessions for AAP candidates including webinars, teleseminars, and classroom sessions.


Training Review Courses by UMACHA: 2021 AAP Exam Prep Series

Webinar Series

  • Design Your AAP Blueprint 5-Part
  • Execute Your AAP Blueprint 10-Part Summer Series
  • Six Open Forum Discussions

2-Day Review Workshop

Test Window: Monday, Oct. 4 – Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021

QUESTIONS?

Check out our Video "Becoming an AAP" and what is required to obtain this certificate: Becoming an AAP Video (Created in 2019)

Renewing Your Certification


AAP® accreditation is valid for five years. You may maintain your status as an AAP by earning and reporting 60 continuing education credits during the five year period or by passing another exam. Participation in AAP® training sessions, Payments University, and select annual conference sessions all qualify as continuing education credits

Helpful Links


The APRP credential demonstrates that you have mastered the complexities of risk management for ACH, check, wire, debit, credit and prepaid cards, and emerging and alternative payments. Participation in UMACHA's risk based training sessions and our annual conference, Navigating Payments, all qualify for Continuing Education Credits

Effectively managing payments risk is crucial for organizations that provide payment services, such as financial institutions, solution providers and processors, businesses and other end-user entities that use these services, and examiners who oversee this activity Learn More about acquiring and maintaining your APRP.

Thinking About Taking The APRP in 2021? Check Out This Infograph: Path To Success

Why Should You Become Certified?

  • Propel your business forward
  • Recognition throughout the payments industry
  • Show that you mastered the complexities of Risk Management for:
    • ACH
    • Check
    • Wire
    • Debit
    • Credit & prepaid cards
    • Emerging & alternative payments
  • Show you’re committed to risk management regulation compliance
  • Be the go-to expert in risk management across payment types

Who Should Get Certified?

  • Anyone involved in payments
  • Financial Institutions
  • Corporate end-users
  • Regulators
  • Service Providers
  • Processors

We Can Help!

UMACHA will help you attain and renew the Accredited Risk Payments Professional (APRP) designation designation by providing a variety of preparation and recertification training sessions for APRP candidates including webinar and classroom sessions. Check out our Education Schedule, for these sessions. Continuing education credits are also available by attending Payments University and the Navigating Payments conference.

Training Review Courses by UMACHA
2021 APRP Exam Prep Series

  • Webinar Series
    • A series of webinars, each one focusing on a specific topic to be covered on the exam, with two review sessions closing out the series.
    • Webinars will take place from 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. (CST)
  • APRP 2-Day Review Virtual Workshop: July 7 & 8, 2021
    • Two days of intense review in preparation for the APRP exam

Register for the 2021 APRP Certification Training Package
The APRP Exam Preparation Series is ideal for UMACHA members who are considering, or are planning on sitting for, the APRP exam in August 2021
Test Window: Monday, Aug. 2 – Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021

Registration Deadline Friday, June 25, 2021

Register to Take the Exam

Questions?


So You Think You Want to be an APRP Recording Free of charge
So You Think You Want to be an APRP Presentation

Through the certification process, National Check Professionals® (NCPs) demonstrate a working knowledge of every significant aspect of the new check payment system including products and operations, relevant rules and laws that govern checks, industry standards and fraud and risk mitigation considerations. Additionally, NCPs will explore those characteristics of check payments that make checks unique among payments and that continue to provide lasting value for tens of billions of payments each year valued at tens of trillions of dollars. Learn More about acquiring and maintain your NCP

Why Get Certified?

A National Check Professional (NCP®) designation recognizes professionals who have successfully proven a certain level of understanding of the current check payments landscape. This sets you apart by:

  • Recognizing your knowledge and comprehension of check payments
  • Recognizing you as a leader in your field
  • Strengthening your professional credibility
  • Demonstrating your
  • commitment to customer service
  • Demonstrating your commitment to stay on the leading edge of industry trends and topics of interest
  • Positioning you for professional advancement

Why Have Your Employees Certified?

The National Check Professionals Certification® program enhances the credibility of your team and gives you a competitive advantage in a constantly changing and challenging environment with:

  • Improved customer service
  • Improved audit performance
  • Enhanced understanding of industry products, trends, and practices
  • Increased understanding of how and why check payments continue to provide value for your customers
  • Increased industry leaders
  • An industry-recognized opportunity for employee professional development and advancement 

We Can Help!

UMACHA will help you attain and renew the National Check Professionals Certification® designation by providing a variety of preparation and recertification training sessions for NCP® candidates including webinar and classroom sessions. Check out our Education Schedule, for these sessions. Continuing education credits are also available by attending Payments University and the Navigating Payments conference.

2021 NCPC Exam Prep Series


Webinar Series

Testing Window and Details
April 17 – May 8, 2021
Registration deadline Friday 3/31/2021
Register To Take The NCP Exam


The ECCHO NCP website now includes details on the new OnVue Proctoring option
Highlighted below by the arrow you will see two new links:  

  1. OnVue Online Details
  2. A pre-recorded session on the OnVue online testing hosted by ECCHO
    View the presentation deck here which contains a demo link for the OnVue online testing

Renewing Your Certification


NCP® accreditation is valid for five years. You may maintain your status as an NCP by earning and reporting 50 continuing education credits and by completing any three mandatory annual ECCHO NCP workshops during the five year period or by passing another exam. Participation in NCP® training sessions, Payments University, and select annual conference sessions all qualify as continuing education credits.

National NCP Day


Click Here for more information on how this day will be recognized and for ideas on celebrating in your office.
Next National NCP Day: Monday, August 2, 2021

Helpful Links

UMACHA/UBB Response to Cancellation of the 2020 NCP Exam


On August 10th, 2020, ECCHO informed the industry of their decision to cancel the 2020 NCP exam (see attachment).  ECCHO stated that the health & safety of candidates was the primary reason for this decision, as the realities of the pandemic continue to persist in the United States.  Despite this decision, ECCHO indicated that they wish to continue to support those impacted by this decision as they prepare to sit for the NCP exam in 2021. The new dates for the 2021 NCP exam testing window are April 17 – May 8, 2021.
Like ECCHO, UMACHA is disappointed by these developments but also stands ready to assist those who will no longer be allowed to test for their NCP certification this year.  Our commitment to you is as follows:

  • UMACHA will provide complimentary NCP training in 2021 for those who meet the following criteria:
    • A member who was registered for any of the following:
      • The 2020 NCP webinar series (no workshop);
      • The 2020 NCP workshop (no webinars);
      • The 2020 NCP Exam Prep Combo (webinars & workshop included);

    • AND
  • A member that was registered with ECCHO to take the 2020 NCP exam.

For those members meeting both of the criteria shown above, UMACHA will automatically enroll them in the same program for the 2021 NCP training cycle.  Because the dates for the 2021 NCP training cycle are still being determined, UMACHA will provide members with further information in future communications via email

*PLEASE NOTE*: This offer is only available for NCP training in 2021.  Members will not be allowed to defer this complimentary UMACHA/UBB NCP training beyond 2021.

Download the Notice Of Cancellation Letter Of 2020 NCP Exam

If you have any questions, please email us or call the UMACHA office at 763-549-7000 or 1-800-348-3692.