June 2026
PYMNTS Data Books

How Bank-Linked Verification Cuts AR Payment Risk

Accounts receivable teams are under pressure to know whether a payment is real, valid and likely to clear before money moves. PYMNTS Intelligence finds that 57% of firms detect payment fraud or non-clearance only after settlement, while 70% report account-quality or clearing failures. The report shows how companies using bank-linked verification and earlier risk checks are better positioned to stop losses before they start.

Header image for the PYMNTS Intelligence Certainty Project Data Book. PYMNTS Intelligence reports that 57% of firms detect payment fraud or non-clearance only after settlement, resulting in higher AR costs.

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    Accounts receivable (AR) teams are under pressure to know whether a payment is good before money moves. “Early Detection: Why Top-Performing Firms Focus on Fraud Before It Starts,” the May 2026 edition of the PYMNTS Intelligence 2026 Certainty Project, finds that many AR teams still learn about fraud, returns or non-clearance after settlement, when recovery is harder and costs are already building. The report shows a clear divide. Companies that use bank-linked verification and earlier risk checks are better positioned to catch problems before they become losses.

    AR Payment Certainty

    Late Discovery

    Fifty-seven percent of firms detect payment fraud or non-clearance only after settlement. Most companies still find out too late that a payment will not clear. That leaves AR teams managing returns, disputes and recovery after value has already moved.

    AR Account Friction

    Seventy percent of firms report account quality or clearing failures. Invalid, closed or inaccurate bank account information remains a common AR problem across firms, regardless of their level of operational uncertainty.

    Bank Signals

    Seventy-six percent of pre-settlement detectors use open banking account ownership verification. Firms that catch issues earlier are more likely to use bank-linked signals, not just manual reviews or customer confirmation, before accepting payments.

    Prevention Gap

    Eighty-six percent of pre-settlement detectors use step-up authentication for high-risk transactions. Companies that identify problems before settlement are more likely to add stronger controls before funds move, including instant bank verification and higher-recourse payment options.

    Rising AR Costs

    High-uncertainty firms report AR integrity costs equal to 42 basis points of revenue. That is roughly double the 21 basis points reported by low-uncertainty firms. The cost burden is highest where faster payments increase fraud exposure and where verification tools are not well integrated.

    Methodology

    This Data Book is based on “Early Detection: Why Top-Performing Firms Focus on Fraud Before It Starts,” the May 2026 edition of the PYMNTS Intelligence 2026 Certainty Project, a collaboration with Plaid. PYMNTS Intelligence collected 60 responses from heads of payments conducted from March 18-30, 2026. The survey polled executives at U.S.-based companies with annual revenues between $100 million and $1 billion.

    About

    Plaid powers the tools millions of people use to lead healthier financial lives. Our mission is to build a more inclusive, competitive and resilient financial system by simplifying payments, transforming lending and advancing the fight against fraud. More than 7,000 companies, including leading FinTechs, crypto firms, Fortune 500 enterprises and many of the largest banks, rely on Plaid to give people greater choice and control over their money. Headquartered in San Francisco, Plaid connects to over 12,000 financial institutions across the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Europe.

    PYMNTS INTELLIGENCE

    PYMNTS Intelligence is a leading global data and analytics platform that uses proprietary data and methods to provide actionable insights on what’s now and what’s next in payments, commerce and the digital economy. Its team of data scientists includes leading economists, econometricians, survey experts, financial analysts and marketing scientists with deep experience in the application of data to the issues that define the future of the digital transformation of the global economy. This multilingual team has conducted original data collection and analysis in more than three dozen global markets for some of the world’s leading publicly traded and privately held firms.

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